Star Struck 2: To Catch A Falling Star Part 01
by Bobbi Todd
Summary: Part 1
1. Default Chapter Title

This story is the sequel to Star Struck.  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
Star, Matthew, and a few other characters are my own and may not be used without my permission. All other characters are the property of Marvel Comics and are used here without their permission.  
  
All characters and incidents contained herein are fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons or incidents is coincidental.  
  
  
This story contains graphic fight scenes. Parents be advised.  
  
  
If you liked the story, let me know. My E-Mail address is bobbitodd@hotmail.com. If you didn't like it, well, you are entitled to your own opinion, but please don't E-Mail me. My ego is fragile enough as it is.  
  
This story can happen pretty much anywhere along the Marvel time line, just at a 90-degree angle, although it was written before the AOA storyline. And since it has a "happily ever after", you *know* you'll never see it in the official Marvel Universe. Just "go with the flow" and enjoy!  
  
Bobbi  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
To Catch a Falling Star  
  
Bobbi Todd  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Under Wolverine's watchful eye, Beast removed the last of the stitches from Star's back. He surveyed the wounds critically, then said,  
  
"There you are, my dear. Any tenderness?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Understandable, there was considerable damage to the muscle tissue. I want you to be careful for a few weeks. Gentle stretching exercises only, nothing strenuous. Your burns are healing nicely. How are the ribs?" Wolverine helped her to sit up on the examination table and she smiled up at him.  
  
"Okay." Beast looked at her skeptically. "Well, they are a little sore."  
  
"A little sore?" She ducked her head, then smiled impishly.  
  
"It doesn't hurt to breath. All the time." Beast sighed.  
  
"I wish I could tape them for you."  
  
"Its all right, Henry. Its really not too bad." He shook his head.  
  
"The swelling has gone down and the bruises are starting to fade." He glanced at the wound across her torso. "Should be able to take the stitches out of this one tomorrow or the next day." He cupped her chin gently in his hand. "In a few months we'll see if we can reduce the scar tissue on your back. Other than that," he said fiercely, "I don't want to see you for anything more serious than a hang nail for at least six months." She looked up at him, her eyes serious.  
  
"I will try, Henry. But I make no promises." He smiled, then picked up her chart.  
  
"Any headaches?"  
  
"No."  
  
"All right, then. There are a few more tests I'd like to run next week to determine the extent to which your powers were ... damaged."  
  
"There doesn't seem to be anything left."  
  
"I know, but we need to check anyway." Star sighed and Beast looked up from the chart. "Too much lab time?"  
  
"I was created in a lab, hatched in a lab, and raised in a lab. I've literally spent more time in the lab than out." She sighed again. "I know I'm not much use to the team without my powers, but I can't say I'm sorry they're gone." She looked down at her hands uncertainly. "I guess when my skin grows back I'll need to ... to find ... someplace else ..."  
  
"Nobody's gonna throw ya out, darlin'. This is yer home now," Wolverine assured her.  
  
"Logan's right, Star." Beast said. "You are always welcome here." Star shook her head.  
  
"I'm a liability. Just something else for you to worry about when you should be concentrating on keeping your hides intact. Something I'm apparently not very good at."  
  
"Star..."  
  
"No, Logan. You were ... hurt. Jean and the Professor were nearly killed trying to help me. A heavy investment for so little return." She eased off the table, touching the floor gently to avoid jarring her injured body while the two X-Men stared at her, speechless. She walked out of the lab. Beast and Wolverine exchanged glances, and Wolverine went to look for Star.  
  
  
  
He finally found her out on the patio at the back of the mansion. As usual, she had forgotten her jacket.  
  
"January in New Salem ain't the time ta be outside in yer shirtsleeves." She looked up at him, then shrugged.  
  
"What I said wasn't completely true. I do miss feeling the animals, and knowing that I'm ... I'm not alone." He put his arms around her and she leaned into him, only to flinch away at the slight contact. He released her instantly.  
  
"'Tender', huh?"  
  
"Okay, so it hurts a lot."  
  
"Why didn't ya tell Hank?"  
  
"Why? There's nothing he could do for me, and he would just worry."  
  
"Star, he's tryin' ta help ya."  
  
"I know, Logan. Everyone has gone out of their way to help me. I just ... feel so useless."  
  
"Yer not useless, girl."  
  
"Right. I weigh less than a hundred pounds and can't even tie my own shoes. I'd be real handy if someone needed help."  
  
"Darlin', ya can't know fer sure..."  
  
"Logan," she said, her voice tired. "I burned it out. It's gone." Her voice was barely audible. "I don't have anything left to offer." He turned her toward him and gently tilted her head back until she looked up at him. Her eyes brimmed with tears. He pulled her to him, careful not to disturb the burns on her back.  
  
"I'm scared," she whispered.  
  
"It's all right, girl," he stroked her hair. "I'll always take care of ya."  
  
"Logan, you can't take care of me all the time."  
  
"Then I'll teach ya ta take care of yerself. And I can't do that if ya ain't here." He wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Now, let's get back inside 'fore ya catch cold."  
  
"I can't catch cold, Logan. Didn't you read my chart?"  
  
"No, I didn't. Hank's the only one with access to stuff like that."  
  
"Maybe you should. I have a very...interesting...lineage."  
  
"It don't matter who yer parents are. Or how many of 'em ya got. The only thing that matters is who ya are." She sighed.  
  
"How can you love me? After what I did to you?"  
  
"Ever'body makes mistakes, darlin'. The point is, I do love ya. An' if ya decide ya can't stay here, then we'll find someplace else, together. 'Less ya don't want me taggin' along."  
  
"I want to be with you, Logan." He kissed her gently, her hands held in his.  
  
"C'mon, darlin', let's get back inside. Frostbite might not do any permanent damage, but that don't mean I like it."  
  
  
  
They went down to the gym and Wolverine took her through a careful regimen designed to stretch her damaged muscles without stressing them. He watched her carefully for any sign of strain. She tired easily, but wouldn't quit until she was told to do so. Or until she collapsed, which was something he wouldn't allow.  
  
Jubilee entered the gym, but started to hastily back out when she saw Star and Wolverine.  
  
"C'mon in, darlin'," Wolverine called to her, and she came back in almost reluctantly. He helped her set up the weight machine while Star continued her exercises, quietly watching Jubilee. After several minutes, Star picked up her towel and turned to Wolverine.  
  
"Logan," she said, hiding her reaction to Jubilee's glare as he looked up at her. "I think I have done enough for now. I'm going to get cleaned up, then go to my room. If anyone needs ... well, I'll be in my room," she turned to Jubilee. "Jubilee?"  
  
"What?" she answered, clearly annoyed.  
  
"Perhaps we could ... go shopping? Tomorrow?"  
  
"Uh, yeah. Maybe."  
  
"Thank you." Star quietly left the gym. Wolverine looked at Jubilee.  
  
"You two havin' problems?" She stared at him.  
  
"Oh, come on, Wolvie! You're my partner. You an' me, we're a team. But ya took off with her."  
  
"Jubilee..."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I know. It was necessary." She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. "But it wasn't 'necessary' for you ta come back makin' eyes at her all the time."  
  
"Jubilee..."  
  
"Don't 'Jubilee' me! Just tell me what's goin' on."  
  
"Yer still my partner, darlin'. The best I could ask for."  
  
"Then what's with her?" He looked at her for a long time before answering.  
  
"I love her, Jubilee. I'm gonna ask her ta marry me." She stared at him, her mouth open. He reached out and gently lifted her chin. "Ya lookin' ta catch flies, darlin'?"  
  
"Yer gonna marry her?" Jubilee was incredulous.  
  
"I said I was gonna ask her. She might turn me down."  
  
"Anybody that'd turn you down'd have ta have rocks in their head." He shrugged.  
  
"It's happened before."  
  
"Oh. Yeah. Right. Mariko. But that didn't have anything to do with you. That was because of whatsisname. Mastermind."  
  
"The arguments were still valid. I ain't exactly a prime catch."  
  
"Well, I think you are. Um, we can still be partners?"  
  
"'Course, darlin'. Nobody I'd rather have."  
  
"Okay. Come help me with this."  
  
  
  
Star went to her room and showered. Moving carefully, she dried her hair with her towel. She flinched as one of the internal stitches suddenly parted, sending a sharp pain unexpectedly through the muscles of her back. She stepped up to the three-way mirror and studied her reflection. Everything looked so different now that she could see with her eyes. She was accustomed to seeing things more ... deeply. Before, her reflection had been blue tinged, and sort of ... sparkly, and it had depth. Now, it was as flat as the glass in front of her. She reached out and touched the glass, enjoying the cool smoothness for a moment before returning her attention to her image. Her dark hair glistened wetly, the curls in disarray from the toweling. Her face was round with a slightly pointed chin. Her eyes were blue, which was a startling change from the shining silver they once had been. It would be easier to pass in the human world, however, without them to blatantly brand her as a mutant. Which would make her shopping trip with Jubilee easier. She turned so she could see the wounds on her back. The tears had been ragged, and the stitching had been hastily, and sloppily, done. The scarring already pulled the tissue, limiting her movement. She supposed that was why Beast wanted to reduce the scar tissue. The burns from the electrodes were going to scar as well.  
  
Moving carefully, she combed her hair before it could dry completely. Then she stretched out on her bed, intending to rest for just a few minutes before starting dinner. She might be completely useless to the others when it really counted, but she could still help with the domestic duties. She fell asleep almost immediately. And began to dream.  
  
  
It was dark and she was alone. More than anything, she hated being alone. She was lying on a bare floor and she was cold. She tried to sit up and realized that she was bound, and that she hurt all over. A door opened and she was momentarily blinded as the room was flooded with light. She blinked in the glare until her eyes cleared. A woman stood in the door. Her arms were oddly elongated and ended in sharply clawed, long fingered hands. Her eyes were cold.  
  
"Bring the Gaijin whore," she said to someone behind her. "I want him to watch her die before I kill him." The woman moved away from the door and a man stepped into the room. He grinned at her, then lifted her effortlessly to his shoulder, knocking the breath out of her. She struggled for air as the room grew dim around her.  
  
  
She woke with a start, her body protesting the sudden movement. She sat up on the edge of the bed, and her heart gradually slowed its frantic beating. If she had glanced at the mirror then, she would have seen silver eyes looking back. When she did look in the mirror, after dressing, the now familiar blue eyes returned her gaze.  
  
  
  
The next morning Jean, Storm, Jubilee, and Star set off for the mall. All four women were acutely aware of what had happened the last time Star had gone shopping and, although she would not admit it to the younger women, Jean was very glad Storm had decided to accompany them. Jubilee was uncharacteristically quiet throughout the trip and Jean could sense the tension between the two young women without any need to probe them telepathically. She knew of Wolverine's attachment to Star, so it was easy to guess the source of the trouble. She hoped they could work it out.  
  
  
  
  
After a couple of hours at the mall, they decided to take a break and get a bite to eat. They hadn't been in any hurry, but Star was showing definite signs of fatigue. She sank carefully into a chair. Jean silently suggested that she and Storm should get the refreshments, leaving the younger women alone for a few minutes.  
  
"Jubilee, if you and Star would hold the table for us, we will return shortly," Storm said. She and Jean moved away.  
  
"Jubilee?" Star said finally.  
  
"What."  
  
"I will not come between you."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Your friendship with Logan will not suffer because of me. Friends are too precious. Especially for him." She looked at her hands for a moment, then looked back up at Jubilee, "And for me."  
  
"He told me he loves you." Star didn't answer. "Well? What about you? Do you love him?"  
  
"Very much." Jubilee was silent for a minute. Then she sighed.  
  
"Okay, then. But if you ever hurt him, I'll rip your heart out!"  
  
"If I hurt him, Jubilee, I won't have a heart." They watched each other warily for a moment, then Star extended her hand. "Friends?" Jubilee hesitated for a heartbeat, then took the proffered hand in her own.  
  
  
  
Storm and Jean returned a minute later, Jean having 'listened' to the mood of their conversation, with hamburgers and french fries for each of them. Star forced herself to eat when she realized that she was too tired to be hungry.  
  
  
After lunch, they decided to see a movie. Jean suggested it because she could see that, tired as she was, Star was reluctant to be the cause of an early ending to Jubilee's shopping trip, and this would offer her an opportunity to rest. She fell asleep almost as soon as the movie started.  
  
  
  
  
She woke with a start as the car smoothly took the curve of the highway, allowing the sun to shine in her eyes. She blinked, confused. Jubilee was beside her, chattering happily about which of her new clothes would go with what. Jean was driving while Storm was turned in her seat to listen to Jubilee, directly behind her. Star listened without interrupting, still trying to comprehend fashion. She tended to wear clothing that was comfortable, her only concession to style was in NOT wearing color combinations that her friends objected to. When required to wear shoes, she usually wore the moccasin boots Jubilee had given her, but most often she went bare foot. Suddenly there was a loud noise and the car swerved sharply left. Storm struck the back of her head on the window, shattering the glass. Their car was thrown into the path of an oncoming semi. Jean fought the steering wheel and tried to get them out of the way of the larger vehicle, but even with her telekinetic powers, there just wasn't enough time. The truck hit them.  
  
  
  
  
Star woke with a gasp.  
  
"Are you all right, dear?" Storm asked her quietly. The theater was dark around them, the movie still played on the screen.  
  
"Yes. I just..." she took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm fine. Just didn't know where I was." Storm patted her hand, and they both turned to watch the movie, Star's silver eyes, unseen in the dark theater, quickly faded back to blue.  
  
  
  
  
After the show was over, Jean didn't like the way Star looked and they decided to call it a day. The purr of the engine and the warmth of the January sun shining through the car window quickly combined with Star's fatigue to lull her to sleep.  
  
  
  
  
She woke with a start as the car smoothly took the curve of the highway, allowing the sun to shine in her eyes. She blinked, confused. Jubilee was beside her, chattering happily about which of her new clothes would go with what. Jean was driving while Storm was turned in her seat to listen to Jubilee, directly behind her. Star sat up straight gasping and clutching for Jubilee's arm.  
  
"Jean, stop the car."  
  
"What is it, child?" Storm asked, looking from Jubilee to Star.  
  
"Hey, leggo!" Jubilee began, then she, too, looked at Star. Blazing silver eyes returned her gaze. "Ohmigosh." Jean had begun to brake when the left front tire blew out with a loud bang, yanking the car to the left. Storm was thrown back, but because she had shifted to look at Star, she didn't hit the window. Jean was able to pull the car to the right, just as a semi, horn blaring, roared past them.  
  
  
  
  
Jean and Storm made short work of changing the tire. Star was silent for the rest of the trip and even Jubilee was subdued. When they arrived back at the mansion, Jean went to speak with Beast and the Professor while Storm, Jubilee, and Star unloaded their packages, most of which went to Jubilee's room. Star stayed to help her put away her purchases. As they put the last of the items away, Star was unable to suppress a yawn.  
  
"Star, why don't you go take a nap or something. I mean, jeez, you look beat."  
  
"Okay, Jubilee. I think I will." Star went to her room and lay down. She was too tired to think about what had happened. Soon, she slept, dreamlessly.  
  
  
  
  
Jubilee sat cross-legged on the couch, eating popcorn and watching a late afternoon talk show.  
  
"...and when we return we'll speak to Mutants and their Human Lovers!"  
  
"Some people'll do anythin' fer money."  
  
"Hiya, Wolvie. Want some popcorn?"  
  
"Sure, kid." He sat next to her on the couch and took a handful of popcorn from the bowl she offered him.  
  
"Why do ya watch this trash, darlin'?"  
  
"I dunno. Its not as depressing as the news, I guess." They watched the program in companionable silence until it was over. When the news came on Jubilee reached for the remote control.  
  
"Leave it, darlin'. Might be somethin' we need to know." With a sigh, she put the remote down.  
  
"Sheesh. If there's anything we need to know," she muttered, "the Prof'll tell us."  
  
"Ya gotta learn ta think fer yerself, kid. Chuck ain't always here, an' ya never know which pieces'll fit together and give ya the jump on the bad guys."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," she grumbled, but she stayed and watched the news with him.  
  
"You gals have fun today?" he asked when the news was over.  
  
"Yeah. I got some way cool stuff, but we almost got creamed comin' home." She didn't notice the sharp look he cast her. "Ya know, its funny. We mix it up with some pretty heavy dudes all the time and we nearly get taken out by a truck."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Huh? Oh. We had a blow out. It was weird, though. Star was snoozin' one second, the next she's tellin' Jean ta stop the car. Jean was slowin' down when the tire blew out, so she was able ta stop the car okay. I'd a sworn Star's eyes were silver for a second, but when we stopped, they were blue." She shrugged, "No biggie. The truck missed, an' here we are! Safe and sound."  
  
"Where's Star?"  
  
"Catchin' some z's. We probably shouldn't have stayed at the mall so long, but she seemed to be havin' a good time."  
  
"Thanks, darlin'. I think I'll go check on her."  
  
"Wolvie?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You think she'll get her powers back?"  
  
"I don't know. We'll just have ta wait an' see."  
  
  
  
  



	2. Default Chapter Title

  
Wolverine tapped quietly on Star's door. It swung inward at the pressure and he peered in. She lay on her side on the bed, her hands folded together under her cheek. He watched her sleep for a moment and was reaching for the door to close it when she opened her eyes. They were as blue as the sky.  
  
"Logan," she said without changing position. He moved to the side of the bed.  
  
"How ya feelin'?"  
  
"Tired," she answered, reaching for his hand.  
  
"Hank told ya ta take it easy."  
  
"I know. But this was important." She sat up, stiffly.  
  
"You and Jubilee work things out?"  
  
"I think so." He sat next to her and put his arm around her. She leaned into him, her forehead resting against his neck. "She loves you too, Logan. You are her friend, her protector, her mentor. She doesn't want to lose you." She sighed and he stroked her hair. "If my powers are gone, what can I do to stay here? I won't take you away from your friends, from your life here, but how can I remain?"  
  
"First, tell me what happened this afternoon." She sat up and shrugged.  
  
"I dreamed that the car was hit by a truck and Jubilee and Storm were ... killed. But I woke up and we were still in the movie. Then later, on the way home, we were suddenly in the middle of my dream and I asked Jean to stop. She slowed down and something happened to the tire and the truck almost hit us. But it didn't. And no one died." She shuddered.  
  
"You have any other dreams like that?"  
  
"I'm ... not sure. I don't really remember."  
  
"You have one, be sure an' tell me, or Jean, ya hear?"  
  
"All right, Logan." They both looked up as they heard footsteps approaching the open door. It was Jean.  
  
"Star, if you're feeling up to it, the Professor would like to speak with you." Wolverine felt Star stiffen in his arms, but released her when she moved to rise. Jean frowned as Star stepped past her into the hall.  
  
"What's Chuck want with the kid?" Wolverine asked when Star had gone.  
  
"He believes that her powers have begun to return, though perhaps in a different form than before." Jean looked troubled. "Her shields have returned, whether she knows it or not. When I mentioned the Professor, she put them up, but not before I felt her fear." She turned to Wolverine, "She's terrified of something, but I don't know what."  
  
  
  
  
Star hesitantly knocked on the door to Professor Xavier's study.  
  
"Come in, Star." She opened the door and went in, leaving it open behind her. "Have a seat, dear." He noted the open door, and knew he could not proceed as rapidly as he had hoped.  
  
"Jean tells me that you helped to avert a disastrous accident today." She just looked at him from where she was seated on the edge of her chair, looking as if she might flee at any moment. "Star, both Storm and Jubilee mentioned that your eyes were silver when you warned Jean to stop the car." He waited, but she didn't respond. He sighed. "Were you aware that your shields have returned?" She looked up at him, startled. "Yes, indeed." He smiled at her. "They seem to be as strong as every. Do you wish me to test them?" Without moving, she gave him the impression that she had flinched.  
  
"Is it necessary?" her blue eyes were wide.  
  
"Not at this time, no."  
  
"Then, no. I do not wish to be tested."  
  
"All right," he paused, "can you tell me what happened today?"  
  
"I dreamed," she said simply, "and then it happened."  
  
"Exactly the way you dreamed?"  
  
"No. In my dream, the truck hit us."  
  
"I see. So you acted to prevent the collision?"  
  
"I ... suppose."  
  
"It is called precognition, dear. It can be a very useful gift. Later, when you are stronger, you will need to explore your new power." She nodded, wordlessly, then got up to leave.  
  
"Star," he began and she turned back, watching him warily, motionless as ever. "My X-Men are precious to me and by acting as you did, you saved four of them from injury, possibly from death. Thank you." She nodded once more and moved to the door. As she was closing it behind her, it struck her that he'd said four, not three. He considered her to be one of them. Part of the fear, the aloneness she had felt drained away from her. Perhaps there could be a place for her after all.  
  
  
  
  
She returned to her room, but Jean and Wolverine had gone. She was vaguely disappointed, but was still too tired to go looking for them in the vast house. She lay down, more at ease than she had been since she had awakened, once more, in the med lab several days before. As sleep overcame her, she wondered how long it would be before she would be able to make it through a whole day without requiring a nap. She sighed in her sleep.  
  
  
  
  
"Ahhh!" Storm cried as the wall collapsed, burying her in the rubble.  
  
"Storm!" Jubilee's voice was frantic. "Gambit, help me!"  
  
"On my way, petite!" He spun, taking out an opponent with a lightning fast kick. He snatched a piece of broken brick from the floor and, charging it quickly, hurled it at their enemy. Jubilee shifted the bricks as fast as she could, anxious to dig Storm out. An entangling net dropped about her, knocking her to her knees. Gambit reached for her only to fall back under a hail of bullets. Jubilee screamed and twisted in the net to face this new threat. The muzzle of a large caliber automatic weapon touched her forehead.  
  
"Don't even blink, mutant." She froze, too tangled in the net to be sure of her aim.  
  
"This one's finished, Mike," another man said, standing over Gambit.  
  
"Damn," muttered the man with the gun, glaring at Jubilee.  
  
"The one under the bricks might still be alive."  
  
"No time. The others'll catch up any second." He shoved the muzzle hard into Jubilee's forehead. "Where's the berserker?" he demanded.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"The guy with the built in hardware. Where is he?"  
  
"He...uh...he was right behind us! He'll be here any second, and boy are you guys gonna be sorry!" He looked at her for a long moment.  
  
"You're lying," he decided and, reversing his weapon, he knocked her out. "Bring the girl and let's get out of here. We'll get the others next time." One of the men lifted Jubilee's motionless figure to his shoulder and they hurried down the darkened corridor. When they rounded a corner, their leader stopped and triggered an explosion that sealed the tunnel behind them.  
  
  
  
  
Rogue zipped into the dust filled corridor and pulled up just short of the demolished section. She saw Gambit, partially buried under the rubble.  
  
"Remy!" she shouted as she rushed to his aid. Jean, Cyclops, and Beast entered the chamber behind her.  
  
"Any sign of Storm or Jubilee?" Cyclops asked as they moved to help free Gambit.  
  
"Storm is nearby, but I can not find Jubilee," Jean answered. Beast straightened slowly and looked at Rogue, silently confirming her worst fears. Gambit was dead. Mute with shock and grief, she gathered the limp form of the tall Cajun into her arms and, crouching in the rubble, she began to weep. The others turned to the pile of bricks, and began to dig to free Storm.  
  
  
  
  
The X-Men seemed to be completely unaware of Star, and she was unable to help them. She struggled to move forward, to help them, but she could not. Suddenly, someone behind her took her by the arm. She spun, striking to defend herself.  
  
  
  
"Whoa! Easy, darlin'! It's just me!" Wolverine said as he easily deflected Star's frantic attack. He caught both her wrists and held her. Her eyes, like pools of mercury, bored into his.  
  
"It's a trap, Logan! You have to go with them! Help them! You have to!"  
  
"What's a trap, girl? Go with who?"  
  
"I...I...I don't know." She slumped forward and he put his arms around her, supporting her. She looked up at him and her eyes were as blue once more.  
  
"I hate this! I hate it!" she sobbed. He held her tightly and could feel the rapid beat of her heart against his chest.  
  
"Maybe the Professor can..." she shook her head.  
  
"No. Please," she almost whispered.  
  
"You afraid of him, darlin'?" she nodded, silently. "He ain't gonna hurt ya." She looked up at him, suddenly angry.  
  
"Where have I heard that before?" She turned, pulling away from him. "No. I don't want him in my head."  
  
"All right, girl. Ain't nobody gonna make ya do somethin' ya don't want ta do." He paused, "Maybe Jean can help." After a long moment she nodded. "Ya feel up to it now?" Reluctantly, she nodded again.  
  
  
  
  
"Jeanne, ya got a minute?"  
  
"Of course. Is anything wrong?"  
  
"No. Star had a dream an' she's havin' a little trouble rememberin' it."  
  
"Perhaps Charles should..."  
  
"She'd rather you gave it a shot." Jean glanced at Star, standing motionless and expressionless just outside the door to the library.  
  
"All right." She gestured at one of the comfortable chairs scattered about the room, "Have a seat, dear." Star moved into the room and sat down. Jean pulled a second chair close while Wolverine stayed by the door. "You believe this dream to be a manifestation of your powers?" Star nodded. "Do you remember anything about it?"  
  
"Not much."  
  
"Just relax and I will try to help you remember." The two women faced each other silently. Wolverine was struck by how similar they were to one another. Though Jean was a statuesque redhead and Star a diminutive brunette, they had the same proud bearing. He loved them both, but only Star seemed willing to return his feelings.  
  
"Star, you have to let me in. Lower your shields, dear." Star straightened, lifting her head slightly. Jean took the smaller woman's hand in her own and both shuddered. Wolverine moved forward involuntarily, but Jean stopped him.  
  
"No, Logan. It's all right. Star, show me what you remember."  
  
  
  
  
Star stood before Jean in a dark space, a hallway or tunnel. Jean was behind her, looking over her shoulder. She saw Storm, followed by Gambit and Jubilee, moving quickly down the hall. An explosion ripped through the wall as a dozen trap doors opened all around them, exposing the men that had been waiting for them. They wore uniforms, but they were blurred to her sight.  
  
"Ahhh!" Storm cried as the wall collapsed, burying her in the rubble.  
  
"Storm!" Jubilee's voice was frantic. "Gambit, help me!"  
  
"On my way, petite!" He spun, taking out an opponent with a lightning fast kick. He snatched a piece of broken brick from the floor and, charging it quickly, hurled it at their enemy. Jubilee shifted the bricks as fast as she could, anxious to dig Storm out. An entangling net dropped about her, knocking her to her knees. Gambit reached for her only to fall back under a hail of bullets. Jubilee screamed and twisted in the net to face this new threat. The muzzle of a large caliber automatic weapon touched her forehead.  
  
"Don't even blink, mutant." She froze, too tangled in the net to be sure of her aim.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Jean tried to move forward, past Star, but the smaller woman grasped her arm with surprising strength.  
  
"I'm not even here. I can't help." Jean forced herself to remember that she and Star were sharing a vision. A memory of things yet to be. It was difficult because it seemed so real. She could smell the dust from the collapsed wall, the acrid odor of the gunpowder, the sharp smell of blood.  
  
  
  
  
"This one's finished, Mike," another man said, standing over Gambit.  
  
"Damn," muttered the man with the gun, glaring at Jubilee.  
  
"The one under the bricks might still be alive."  
  
"No time. The others'll catch up any second." He shoved the muzzle hard into Jubilee's forehead. "Where's the berserker?" he demanded.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"The guy with the built in hardware. Where is he?"  
  
"He...uh...he was right behind us! He'll be here any second, and boy are you guys gonna be sorry!" He looked at her for a long moment.  
  
"You're lying," he decided and, reversing his weapon, he knocked her out. "Bring the girl and let's get out of here. We'll get the others next time." One of the men lifted Jubilee's motionless figure to his shoulder and they hurried down the darkened corridor. When they rounded a corner, their leader stopped and triggered an explosion that sealed the tunnel behind them.  
  
  
  
  
"He's right." Star said suddenly. "Wolverine is not here. Why isn't he here?" Jean didn't answer, watching silently as the memory continued to unfold.  
  
  
  
  
  
Rogue zipped into the dust filled corridor and pulled up just short of the demolished section. She saw Gambit, partially buried under the rubble.  
  
"Remy!" she shouted as she rushed to his aid. Jean, Cyclops, and Beast entered the chamber behind her.  
  
  
  
  
  
Jean found it odd to watch herself do something she knew had not yet come to pass. She hoped that with the foreknowledge Star was providing, it never would.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Any sign of Storm or Jubilee?" Cyclops asked as they moved to help free Gambit.  
  
"Storm is nearby, but I can not find Jubilee," Jean answered. Beast straightened slowly and looked at Rogue, silently confirming her worst fears. Gambit was dead. Mute with shock and grief, she gathered the limp form of the tall Cajun into her arms and, crouching in the rubble, she began to weep. The others turned to the pile of bricks, and began to dig to free Storm.  
  
  
  
  
  
The scene faded away as Star turned suddenly to face Jean.  
  
"That's all of it." Jean nodded and started to withdraw, but Star reached out, quick as a cat, and caught her wrist.  
  
"Why, Jean? Why don't you love him?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"He loves you. He loves you so much. And it kills him to watch you with Scott. Why don't you love Logan?"  
  
"I don't know, Star." Jean answered after a long pause. "He is a special man, and I care for him very much, but I love Scott." She took Star's other hand in her own. "He loves you, Star. And I'm very happy for you both."  
  
"Does he?" Star asked, her eyes unhappy. "Or does he just feel sorry for me? Responsible since he let me live? Or do I just remind him of you?"  
  
"I don't think so. He's not much one to hide his feelings. He was ready to die rather than live without you," she reminded her. Jean wasn't sure Star was convinced, but she really couldn't help. Star and Wolverine would have to work this out between them.  
  
Star released her as suddenly as she'd caught her wrist and both women withdrew.  
  
  
  
  
Jean turned to Wolverine, while Star looked only at her hands.  
  
"She remembers an ambush that hasn't happened yet. For some reason, you are not present."  
  
"D'ya know who they are?"  
  
"No. I did not recognize them, but they are not mutants."  
  
"Great." As Jean described Star's dream, she unconsciously rubbed her wrist which ached from Star's astral grip.  
  
"Whoever they are, we can handle 'em."  
  
"With the forewarning Star has provided, I believe that we can."  
  
  
  
  
Star retired early, exhausted by the shopping trip. She left her door ajar so that, even asleep, she would be able to hear the others as they moved about the mansion. The Professor wanted to talk to her about her visions and her anxiety about the meeting made it difficult for her to sleep. Finally, long after everyone else in the house had gone to bed, she was able to sleep. Her rest was short lived. It was as if her new precognitive powers were trying to make up for having been unavailable to her.  
  
  
  
  
She woke to darkness. She heard faint noises of people moving about, but the mansion was supposed to be empty. The X-Men had gone on a mission and had yet to return. She slipped quietly out of the living room, where she had fallen asleep while waiting, listening with all her strength.  
  
"Hurry up with that computer core, Joe. Mike just called and he said they missed, so those X-creeps'll be back here soon."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I heard him. You can only down load files so fast, you know."  
  
"I know, I know. But we gotta get all the files before we set off the charges. The boss says this guy has records on all the mutants, especially them with special powers. With this stuff, we won't need the mutant registration act. We can hunt 'em down one at a time, anytime we feel like it."  
  
"O.K., that's the last of it. Set those charges for a two-hour delay. With a little bit of luck, it'll go off after they get home." Star realized that she couldn't let these people leave with the Professor's files. She didn't know how they had gotten into the building without activating the defenses, but she had to keep them from leaving.  
  
Abruptly, one of the men stepped out of the Ready Room, facing Star. She froze, but it was too late. She had been seen.  
  
"Hey, Joe. There's a kid out here. An' it ain't that Jubilee brat. Mike didn't say nothin' about the guy keepin' another pet." He stepped forward, reaching for her. "C'mere, kid. I ain't gonna hurt ya." She turned and ran, her bare feet making no noise on the floor, while her pursuer thundered down the hall after her. He was gaining on her. She ducked into the kitchen and snatched a large knife from the rack next to the stove. The man rounded the corner and skidded to a halt when he saw her. He smiled cruelly at her and she realized that he was wearing armor.  
  
"Gimme the sticker, kid." She backed away from him, holding the knife as Wolverine had shown her, hoping for a lucky strike. She was suddenly struck from behind and knocked to the floor. The second man had circled and come into the kitchen from the dining room. The knife skittered across the floor stopping at the feet of the first man.  
  
"Well, well. What do we have here? What d'ya think, Joe? Think the boss'd be interested in her?"  
  
"She's not on our list. Get rid of her."  
  
"Aw, c'mon, Joe. She's just a kid."  
  
"Don't be stupid. She's a mutant or she wouldn't be here." He drew his pistol as he stepped forward. He pointed it at her. "Say good-bye, mutie." He squeezed the trigger.  
  
  
  
  
Star sat up with a gasp, clutching the neck of her nightgown. This time she remembered the dream clearly. She had saved Gambit, Storm, and Jubilee, but what could she do to save herself? She didn't know how the men would get into the house, but she had to be prepared when they did. She couldn't allow them to take the Professor's files. Too many lives were at stake. She couldn't tell Wolverine or he would refuse to leave her, then the others would suffer. Suddenly, she couldn't stand to be alone. She ran silently down the hallway and found herself outside the door to Wolverine's room. After a moment, she tapped hesitantly on the door. It opened almost instantly and he stood in the doorway.  
  
"What's the matter, darlin'? Ya look like ya've seen a ghost."  
  
"I...I just...don't want to be alone. Can I...stay with you?" He opened the door wide enough for her to enter, then closed it noiselessly behind her. He took her in his arms and held her until she stopped shaking. He tilted her head back and looked into her eyes.  
  
"You gonna tell me what's wrong?" She shook her head slowly. "All right, darlin'. I'll be here for ya whenever yer ready." She was suddenly aware of his bare chest, of the strength of his arms as he held her. She stood on tiptoe and brushed his lips with her own. His arms tightened almost imperceptibly around her and he kissed her gently. She put her arms around his neck, pressing herself against him, returning his kiss with passion. She began to tremble again, but this time for a different reason. He drew back, looking down at her, his breath as quick as hers.  
  
"You sure, girl?" She nodded, her eyes never leaving his. He looked at her for a moment longer, then lifted her in his arms and turned with her to the bed.  
  
  
  
  
The sun had barely cleared the horizon when they awoke, their limbs still entwined. The fragrance of her hair was intoxicating and he tightened the arm that was around her, pulling her close. She murmured wordlessly, her hand stroking his chest. He bent and kissed the top of her head. She tilted her head back and smiled dreamily up at him. He bent once more and covered her mouth with his own, his tongue tasting her lips before she parted them willingly, returning his kiss tenderly. He felt desire rising once more as he felt her body cradled against him.  
  
"Star," he said, suddenly afraid that his courage would fail him now of all times.  
  
"Hmmm?" she answered, her hands beginning to explore his body.  
  
"Will you marry me?" he unconsciously held his breath as he waited for her answer. After a long time, she finally lifted herself up on one elbow and looked down at him.  
  
"Why?" He inhaled angrily but bit back his reply when she flinched. She put her fingers on his lips.  
  
"I love you, Logan. I will stay with you as long as you will have me, but why should we marry?" He thought about her question for a long moment, the angry beating of his heart slowing gradually to a more normal rhythm.  
  
"It's a...cultural thing, darlin'. Gettin' married is a way two people can tell the whole world that they love each other, that they trust each other, that they want ta spend the rest of their lives together." He was astonished to see tears suddenly forming in her eyes.  
  
"What...?"  
  
"Shhh," she said, her fingers across his lips once more. She smiled sadly for a moment, then said "Ask me again in a week, if you still want me. I'll give you my answer then. For now, please, just love me."  
  
  
  
  
  
He woke suddenly, alone in the bed. He sat up and looked around. The balcony window was slightly ajar and he moved the curtain aside. Star stood on the balcony, her hands on the rail as she looked up into the morning sky. The sunlight gave her bare skin an enchanting glow. He opened the door and stepped outside, shivering as the winter air touched him. He put his arms around her and drew her back inside.  
  
"What's with you an' goin' outside in these temperatures darlin'?" he asked teasingly.  
  
"The outside is so big," she answered solemnly. "Sometimes I just can't resist it." He wrapped her in his bathrobe, holding her close as she began to shiver. When she finally relaxed, her body warmed again, he reluctantly released her, turning to put his pants on.  
  
"Let's go get somethin' ta eat, darlin'." She took his hand and together they went to the kitchen.  
  
  



	3. Default Chapter Title

  
They were putting away the plates when Cyclops' voice came over the intercom.  
  
"X-Men, report to the War Room immediately." Wolverine moved for the door, but paused when Star did not follow.  
  
"I will join you in a moment, Logan." He nodded and hurried on. She put the last dish away and turned toward the dining room. She stood in the doorway, puzzled by the impulse which had sent her here. Finally, she turned to the large cabinet where board games were stored. She opened the door and looked within. All the way to the back, nearly invisible in the gloom, was a deck of cards, bound by a rubber band. She reached in and picked it up, remembering how it had come to be there.  
  
  
  
  
  
Jubilee was trying to teach Star a card game, but somehow it wasn't coming out right. Finally, disgusted, they counted the cards. There was one missing.  
  
"Well, no wonder it wouldn't work." Jubilee had snorted. She'd snapped the band around the gathered cards and tossed them toward the trashcan. Jean had snatched them out of the air and sailed them back to her.  
  
"Save those for Gambit, Jubilee."  
  
"Yeah, right." Jubilee had later tossed them in the cabinet, intending to give them to the Cajun later that day. And they had been forgotten.  
  
Star took the cards with her, putting them in the pocket of Wolverine's robe. Then she went to the War Room.  
  
  
  
  
  
"No. As soon as we got the call, I checked with his hotel. The Professor never arrived." Cyclops was saying as Star quietly closed the door behind her.  
  
"So somebody's managed ta snatch Chuck. They say where ta bring the ransom?" Wolverine asked.  
  
"Yes." Cyclops typed a command into the computer keyboard at his fingertips and a map was projected on the screen. "It's an abandoned subway line." A red X appeared on the screen. "They want the money dropped here, tonight."  
  
"That don' give us much time," Gambit said.  
  
"Let's move, people. I want us airborne in ten minutes." The X-Men moved quickly to change into, as Wolverine had put it, their working clothes.  
  
  
  
  
Star watched as the X-Men boarded the blackbird. Wolverine stopped in front of her.  
  
"I hate leavin' ya like this, darlin'." She reached up and touched his cheek.  
  
"Go, Wolverine. You are needed." He looked at her a moment longer, then turned and joined the others. Jubilee dashed past Star on her way to the plane.  
  
"Jubilee! Wait!" Star hurried after her and quickly gave her the deck of cards. "Take these with you."  
  
"Yeah, sure. Gotta go!" Jubilee ran up the ramp to the waiting play. The ramp closed behind her and the huge plane moved slowly toward the opening hangar doors.  
  
  
  
  
When they had gone, Star went to her room and dressed quickly. She wasn't sure how much time she had. She moved silently through the empty house toward Xavier's Ready Room and the powerful computer housed there. She suddenly changed directions and went downstairs to the armory instead. She located the Kevlar vests and put one on. It was much too large, but she decided that it was better than nothing. She found a shirt, discarded in the gym, and put it on, effectively concealing the vest. Then she went to the ready room. She searched until she found a box of blank discs. She inserted the first disc into the computer and, closing her eyes, she sought the proper keystrokes that would allow her to bypass the Professor's security system. In just a few moments, she was copying the data to the first of the blank discs, erasing the information from the computer as she went.  
  
  
  
  
She had accumulated an impressive stack of filled discs, and had nearly completed transferring the files, when she suddenly had the feeling that time was running out. She put the last disc into the slot on the computer and quickly gathered the other discs together. She was at a loss as to where to hide them. Then she knew. She ran, silently as always, to the rec room. She pulled open the drawer where the computer game discs were stored. As she'd hoped, they were in total disarray. She dumped the discs in and ran back to the Ready Room. The final disc was just finishing when she heard voices. It was the men from her dream. She snatched the disc out of the machine and slapped the off switch. They were just outside the door. She was trapped.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The blackbird landed silently atop a large building which, their map showed, had once had an entrance to the abandoned subway somewhere in the basement. The X-Men slipped out of the plane. Jean probed ahead of them.  
  
"The building is empty," she told them.  
  
"Mebbe so," Wolverine replied, standing in the open doorway leading to the stairwell. "But there's been a lot o' people here recently. Includin' Chuck." They proceeded down the stairs with Wolverine leading. They reached the ground floor without encountering any security at all.  
  
"This is too blamed easy," Wolverine muttered. He carefully opened the door to the basement and paused for a moment. "Scent's stronger down here." At the bottom of the stairs they spread out, searching for the entrance to the subway system.  
  
"Here, mes amies," Gambit called softy from where he stood in front of a barely visible door. It led to yet another set of stairs leading down. At the bottom of this set of stairs was the subway line.  
  
"Which way?" Cyclops asked.  
  
"Can't tell. Too many scents overlappin'" Wolverine said.  
  
"Scott, this is the tunnel from Star's dream," Jean said suddenly.  
  
"Look sharp, people. We're expected," Cyclops answered. "Storm, you take Wolverine, Gambit, and Jubilee, and check the right-hand tunnel, the rest of you, with me." Quietly, but efficiently, they split up.  
  
  
  
  
  
Neither team encountered any resistance as they moved down the different branches of the subway line. Finally, Jean turned to Scott and said,  
  
"I don't recognize any of this. I think we're going the wrong way."  
  
"Do you sense anything?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Come on. Let's catch up with the others." They turned back.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Somethin's not right," Wolverine said. "Scents stronger all of a sudden."  
  
An explosion ripped through the wall as a dozen trap doors opened all around the second team, exposing the men that had been waiting for them.  
  
"Ahhh!" Storm cried as the wall collapsed. Wolverine snatched her out of the way. Gambit charged and threw his cards, the explosions scattering their enemy as Jubilee blinded them with her powers. Wolverine leaped into the fray as Storm recovered her feet and called on the powers of the Arctic winds to impede their foe. Wolverine slashed through the barrel of the automatic weapon one of the men carried, rendering it useless. Most of the enemy tried to flee, only to find their way blocked by Cyclops and his team. The battle was quickly over. The floor of the subway line was littered with unconscious bodies. Wolverine grabbed one of the men by his shirtfront and shook him.  
  
"Wake up, pretty boy." The man groaned and opened his eyes. "Where've you got the Prof stashed?"  
  
"Drop dead, mutie," the man snarled, grinning up at him. Wolverine growled deep in his throat.  
  
"Answer the question, or I'll give ya another smile ta go with that one." He held his free hand in front of the man's face and extended his claws with a sharp, metallic sound. The man swallowed, his grin fading for a moment.  
  
"Yeah, right, mutie. Everybody knows you guys don't kill anyone."  
  
"Mebbe they don't," Wolverine said, returning the man's smile. "But I do." The captive's smile disappeared.  
  
"Wolverine..." Beast began but Cyclops stopped him.  
  
"Leave him be. We can always ask one of the others." Wolverine never took his eyes off his prisoner, but his smile widened. The color drained from the man's face.  
  
"Wait! I'll take you to him!"  
  
"Just tell us where he is. We'll go get him ourselves."  
  
"D..down that tunnel," he pointed. "Take the second left, then the first right. He's in an old maintenance room."  
  
"Thanks, bub." Wolverine drew his fist back, the claws gleaming, and punched the captive, retracting his claws at the last instant so that the man's final sight was of the vicious weapons bearing down on him.  
  
"That wasn't very nice, sugah," Rogue said and the moved in the direction the now unconscious man had indicated.  
  
"It worked, didn't it?" Wolverine moved ahead, with Jubilee on his heels.  
  
"How'd ya know he knew where the Professor was, Wolvie?" Jubilee asked.  
  
"I recognized their uniforms. These're Friends of Humanity punks. An' he had the most confetti on his sleeve."  
  
"Oh."  
  
  
  
  
  
Though they moved quietly, they soon began to encounter resistance. The FOH was well entrenched, and soon Gambit was reduced to charging bits of rubble to throw at the slowly retreating enemy. Suddenly, they were before a door marked 'Maintenance'. Wolverine tried the knob, but the door was locked. He extended his claws and drove them into the door above the lock, intending to cut the door open. A powerful electric charge surged through his body, throwing him backwards. He struck Rogue, knocking her down as well.  
  
"Wolvie?" Jubilee asked tenuously.  
  
"He's still breathin', sugah. So I'd guess he'll be fine shortly," Rogue said, picking herself up.  
  
Cyclops focused his power on the door, only to have the blast reflected back. Everyone ducked.  
  
"Jean?" he asked.  
  
"No good, Scott. It's shielded with a field similar to the one we found Star in. I can't penetrate it."  
  
Storm tried both heat and cold, to no effect.  
  
"Why dere never anyt'ing' ta t'row when ya need it? Looks almost like dis place been swept up or somethin'," Gambit said.  
  
"I think, perhaps, it has been," Beast quipped. "They seem to know quite a bit about us." He examined the door, careful not to touch it. "If you'll notice, the knob is made of non-conductive material. Only the door itself is electrified. The walls seem to be specially reinforced. Probably to prohibit Rogue or myself from going through them." He pondered for a moment. "The door would seem to be the only viable entrance. And by depriving Gambit of any ammunition we seem to have been, for the moment at least, stopped cold."  
  
"Hey, Gambit!" Jubilee said suddenly. "Here!" She tossed the deck of cards to him.  
  
"Much obliged, Chere." He said, deftly catching the bundled deck. "Where you get dese?"  
  
"Star."  
  
"Oh." He turned to the door. "Stand back, mes amies. Dere no tellin' what kinda reaction we gonna get." Everyone moved away from the door, Rogue and Beast taking the still stunned Wolverine with them. Gambit carefully charged several of the cards and casually tossed them toward the door. It exploded, with no further traps.  
  
Within, they found the Professor, unconscious but apparently unharmed. Beast gathered him into his arms and the X-Men moved quickly back the way they had come. Rogue and Jubilee assisted Wolverine until he had recovered sufficiently to move on his own. They encountered no one and soon were back on board the blackbird, airborne, and headed for home.  
  
  
  
  
Star dropped the disc into the nearly empty box, snatched a blank disc, and ducked behind the equipment at the back of the room. She heard the two men enter the Ready Room. They turned the computer terminal on and inserted a disc of their own into the machine.  
  
"How long's that virus gonna take, Joe?"  
  
"Not long," he paused. "There, that's got it. Give me some of those blanks we brought."  
  
"Why don't we use these?" Star risked peering around the corner of the equipment and nearly gasped when she realized that he was holding the box of discs she had left next to the computer.  
  
"No. These folks are tricky. We don't take anything out of here except the files, that way we know we can't be traced."  
  
"What ever ya say, Joe." Star slipped back down to where she couldn't be easily seen.  
  
"What the hell?"  
  
"What's the matter?" Star heard the second man nervously draw his weapon.  
  
"There's nothing here! The whole damn file is empty!" Just then Star heard an odd beeping. She peeked out again and saw Joe pulling a cellular phone out of the bag he carried.  
  
"Yeah," he said, then listened for a moment. "Right." He put the phone back in the bag and turned to the other man. "They got wiped out."  
  
"What? How? This was all supposed to be a piece of cake."  
  
"Yeah, I know. Come on. The files we came for aren't here. Let's get out of here before we find out we were set up too." Both men had turned toward the door when Star felt a wave of dizziness sweep through her. She lost her balance and fell, landing on her hands and knees, the disc she had carried with her clattering across the floor. The second man spun in his tracks, firing his weapon as he turned. Three of the bullets struck her in the body, throwing her back against the wall. She slid down and lay motionless on the floor.  
  
"Jesus, Joe, it was just a kid!"  
  
"Forget it. She had to be a mutant or she wouldn't have been here. Get that disc, maybe it's got something we can use. She thought it was important enough to hide it."  
  
Star couldn't breathe. She felt as if her chest had been crushed. Her vision narrowed until all she could see of the approaching man was his boots. He bent and scooped up the disc.  
  
"Hey, Joe. Should I finish her off? Gut shot ain't a nice way ta die."  
  
"Leave her. Didn't I already tell you she's nothing but a filthy mutant? She deserves whatever she gets. Now, come on!" Star blacked out.  
  
  
  
  
  
By the time the blackbird touched down in the underground hangar, Wolverine had completely recovered and the Professor had regained consciousness. They climbed out of the plane, puzzled over the entire mission.  
  
"But why did they kidnap you in the first place, sir?" Cyclops asked the Professor.  
  
"I can only assume that it was to lure all of you into their trap. Fortunately, they underestimated you." Wolverine moved ahead and opened the door that lead to the mansion proper.  
  
"Hold it. Somebody's been here, I can smell 'em. Smell gunpowder too. Why would..." He gasped as if he'd been gut punched. "Star. Star!" He moved quickly through the door and down the long hallway, the others following. Jubilee helped the Professor roll his wheelchair after them.  
  
  
  
  
The strangers' scent, and the smell of gunpowder was strongest in the Ready Room. It only took Wolverine an instant to see Star, lying in the shadows at the far end of the room. He ran to her, oblivious of the others moving into the room behind him. He knelt beside her, afraid to move her. The shirt she wore was stained with blood. Using his claws, Wolverine carefully cut it open. He was stunned, but relieved to find that she wore a Kevlar vest beneath it. Beast joined him.  
  
"Was she shot? Where is the blood coming from?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Get that vest off her." Wolverine gently cut the vest away. The short blouse she wore finally revealed the origin of the blood. The wound on her abdomen had opened under the punishment of the blows from the bullets. She moaned and Wolverine gently lifted her upper body off the floor, holding her close against him.  
  
"Bring her to the med lab, please. I need to re stitch that wound." Beast shook his head, his relief as evident as Wolverine's.  
  
"Logan," Star murmured as he picked her up and moved toward the door of the Ready Room.  
  
"Professor," Cyclops said. "Your files are gone. They took everything."  
  
"Let me see." Xavier waited until Wolverine had moved past with Star, then moved around the console to face the computer terminal.  
  
"This is a disaster. The names of every promising young mutant in this country were in those file, as well as many from outside the country. In the wrong hands, those files can be used for great evil."  
  
  
  
  
Wolverine placed Star, once more, on the table in the med lab. She smiled groggily up at him.  
  
"Is everyone...all right?" she asked.  
  
"Just fine, darlin'. Now be still, Hank's gotta sew ya up again."  
  
"Why are your clothes burned?" she wrinkled her nose and then, smiling to take the sting out of her words, she said "they stink."  
  
"Go change, Wolverine. We'll be a few minutes here, yet." After hesitating for a moment, he nodded and turned to go.  
  
"Henry?"  
  
"Yes, Star?"  
  
"Tell the Professor his files are in the game drawer."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The files. They're in the game drawer. Please tell him, he's very unhappy about losing them."  
  
"Y'all need any help in here?" Rogue asked from the open door.  
  
"No, thank you. But you could pass a message on to the Professor from Star, though."  
  
"Sure. What's the message, sugah."  
  
"His files are in the game drawer."  
  
"That's it?" Star nodded, trying not to flinch as Beast put the first of the stitches in. "You got it." Rogue moved down the hall to the Ready Room.  
  
"Why's ever'body so gloomy in here?" She asked of Cyclops, Jean, and the Professor. "The mission was a success an' Star ain't hurt all that bad."  
  
"They've taken my files, Rogue. Without them, I don't even know who the people are that will be hurt by them."  
  
"Star said ta tell ya yer files're in the game drawer."  
  
"What?"  
  
"That's what she said," Rogue answered with a shrug. "Shucks, if I'd known they were that important, I'd o' picked 'em up on ma way by." Cyclops hurried past Rogue to get the discs for the Professor.  
  
  
  
  
"How long would it have taken her to copy all these files, sir?" Wolverine heard Cyclops asking Xavier as he went back to the med lab.  
  
"Several hours, Scott. In addition to the time it took her to break the code. Speaking of which, I apparently need to develop a better security system. It's embarrassing to have your computer broken into twice in the same day."  
  
"Not to mention the fact that they got into the mansion without tripping a single defense."  
  
"Indeed. Ah, Wolverine. Please tell Star that by moving the files, she has probably saved the lives of many of the mutants listed. And tell her I said thank you. She does not seem to be very...comfortable...in my presence."  
  
"She's scared o' ya, Chuck."  
  
"Hmmm. I will have to work on that."  
  
"She knew those guys were comin', didn't she?"  
  
"It would appear so." Frowning, Wolverine continued on to the med lab.  
  
  
  
  
Star was sitting on the table, a fresh bandage covering her newly stitched wound. Beast had gone. She smiled at Wolverine when he entered the lab, but her smile faded when she saw his frown. She watched his approach uncertainly.  
  
"When did ya know, Star?" he demanded angrily.  
  
"I...I..."  
  
"You knew those guys were gonna be here. I want ta know how long you knew."  
  
"Since...last night."  
  
"An' ya didn't say nothing."  
  
"I couldn't. There was too much at stake."  
  
"Did ya at least know that you were gonna be all right?" She looked up at him, her eyes wide. Slowly, she shook her head. Snarling, he slammed his fists into the table on either side of her. She fought against cringing.  
  
"I'd say we got us a real good relationship here. Lots o' trust involved." He glared at her. "I musta sounded like a class A chump this mornin', huh, girl?" He straightened, moving away from her. "Well, you just never mind. I been kicked by the best an' I always get over it. You have a good time, girl. You don't have ta worry 'bout me botherin' ya." He turned and stormed from the room.  
  
"Logan, wait!" she cried, hopping down from the table to follow him. She heard the front door open, then slam closed. Another wave of dizziness overwhelmed her and she staggered into the doorframe. By the time she had recovered her balance, she could hear the roar of his Harley moving away from the mansion.  
  
  
  
  
Star leaned against the doorframe, listening until she could no longer hear Wolverine's 'bike. She went upstairs to her room and closed the door. Her chest and stomach still hurt from the impact of the bullets, and she pulled her shirt off to examine the darkening bruises. Her abdomen seemed to be swollen as well as bruised. She pulled on a loose blouse and sat down next to the window. She was unaware of the tears that streamed down her cheeks.  
  
  
  
When neither Wolverine nor Star came down for dinner, everyone assumed that they were together. No one was aware of the heartbreak being shared by two people who were currently so far apart.  
  
  
  
  
Star stayed at the window throughout the night, hoping he would return. When the sun rose, she was vaguely surprised. Somehow, she had expected the night to just continue. She got up from the window, unsure of what she should do. A sudden cramp doubled her over. She sank to the floor as the pain was joined by a nauseating dizziness. She leaned against the wall, her arms around her stomach and her knees drawn up. Gradually, the pain and dizziness passed, leaving only the nausea. Gingerly, she climbed to her feet and lay down on her bed. Abruptly, the tears came again. Why hadn't she just lied to him? It would have been easy enough to tell him that she'd had her vision after they had gone. He would have believed her, it was what he had wanted to hear. But she hadn't. She buried her face in her pillow, muffling her sobs until she fell asleep. She dreamed of Wolverine as she'd first seen him. He stood over her, his eyes cold. He was ready to kill her to prevent her from injuring his friends. He'd seen something behind the madness which trapped her and had knocked her out instead. Then he'd been there when she had awakened, had helped her fend off the darkness. She moaned in her sleep, the memories made painful by his absence. She was awakened by a tapping on her door and was startled to realized that it was again dark outside. She had slept the entire day.  
  
She struggled to sit up in the bed and discovered that any movement made her sick.  
  
"Come in," she called when she had her nausea under control. The door opened, admitting Jubilee.  
  
"Hey Star, have you seen Wolvie?"  
  
"Wolverine is not here, Jubilee. He left yesterday and I do not think he has returned."  
  
"Oh." Jubilee shrugged. "Sometimes he just takes off like that. You get used to it after a while." Star didn't answer. "Well, you look bushed, so I'll get outta your hair and let you get to sleep." She closed the door behind her as she left the room. Star lay back on the bed, too sick to notice how swollen her abdomen was.  
  
She slept again, once more dreaming of Wolverine.  
  
  
  



	4. Default Chapter Title

  
He was walking down a dark, grungy street, his anger palpable. Most of the people on the sidewalk unconsciously made way for him, though occasionally some young tough would start to challenge him. So far they had all backed down after one look in his eyes. Which was really too bad as he was looking for a good fight. He was still angry with Star, but he was even more angry with himself. He'd fallen in love with a woman who returned his love, and he'd thrown it away. And over what? There'd been plenty of times when he'd held back part of the truth for his own reasons. Had he given her a chance to explain? Of course not. Not good ol' hot tempered Wolverine. He turned in to a particularly seedy looking bar, hoping someone in here would have the guts to challenge him. He really needed a good fight to get some of the anger out of his system. Then maybe he could go home. And face Star.  
  
  
  
  
She woke, remembering nothing of the dream, but with tears once more on her cheeks. She got up carefully and went into the bathroom to get a glass of water. She found she had to lean on the wall for support because her balance was so shaky. She got the water and returned to her bed, pulling the blankets up to her chin. She didn't understand why it was so cold in her room. It had always been comfortable before. She slipped back into sleep without resisting.  
  
  
  
  
When she woke again, the sun had risen and Jubilee was once again knocking on her door.  
  
"Hey Star, c'mon, wake up!"  
  
"Wh..what?" she was disoriented, and it was still so cold. Jubilee opened the door when Star finally answered and came in.  
  
"Are you gonna sleep all day?" Star just looked at her, uncomprehending. "Star?" Jubilee turned the light on in the room, "Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Star still didn't answer. Jubilee moved quickly to the side of the bed. Star showed no recognition of her friend. Her face was flushed and she was shivering under the blanket.  
  
"Star?" Jubilee reached out and touched Star's hand where it clutched the blanket. "Whoa. You're burning up. Stay here, I'm gonna go get Beast. He can take care of you." Jubilee hurried out of the room, leaving the door open behind her. Star stared at the open door, still completely disoriented. She was vaguely aware of missing something, but she didn't know quite what. She slipped out from under the blanket, her bare feet making no sound as she moved out of her room and down the hall, searching.  
  
  
  
  
"Hey, Beast!" Jubilee practically shouted into the med lab. "Star's sick. I think you better come take a look at her."  
  
"Sick? Star?" Beast answered.  
  
"Yeah, you know. Like the flu or somethin'."  
  
"Star can't catch the flu. It is physically impossible for her to be sick."  
  
"Okay, fine. So, how else would you explain it when somebody has a fever? That they feel fine?"  
  
"She's running a fever? How very odd."  
  
"Will you just please come on!"  
  
"Of course. Where is she?"  
  
"In her room. She hasn't come out of there since Wolvie took off. Anybody know what lit his fuse this time?"  
  
"I do not. I wasn't actually aware that he had gone."  
  
"Real observant there, Beastie." They spoke as they climbed the stairs. When they reached Star's room, Beast tapped politely on the partially closed door.  
  
"Star? May we come in?" They received no reply and he gently pushed to door open. Star's bed was empty. Jubilee checked the bathroom, but it, too, was empty.  
  
"Are you sure she was ill?"  
  
"Yeah. Like, she didn't even recognize me." Beast turned to the intercom and pressed the button.  
  
"Star, can you hear me? Where are you, child?"  
  
"Henry, what is wrong?" he heard Jean say, quietly in his head.  
  
"Jubilee believes that Star is ill, Jean. But she is no longer in her room." There was a pause.  
  
"I cannot find her, Henry. Not this way."  
  
"Then we'll just have to go looking, I suppose."  
  
  
  
  
Star, completely delirious, had somehow found her way to Wolverine's room. When Beast had called her over the intercom, she had started, bumping into the night table and knocking the lamp to the floor. She stood staring at it for a long time.  
  
"Wolverine, you dere, mon amie?" Gambit's voice asked from just outside the door. "Wolverine?" He slowly pushed the door open and was surprised to see Star. He was even more surprised when she took an uncertain step toward him and began to collapse. He caught her before she hit the floor.  
  
"Mon dieu! Petite, you are on fire!" He cradled her in his arms, "Come, Chere, we take you to Beast, non?" She lay in his arms, her head against his shoulder, not responding.  
  
  
  
  
Gambit carried her effortlessly to the med lab.  
  
"Beast! Where are you, mon amie?" he called.  
  
"Here, Gambit," Beast said from the hallway and Gambit turned to face him. "Ah, I see you have found our wayward wanderer. Put her there, please, so that we may determine the nature of her malady." As Gambit moved to set her down, Star stirred.  
  
"Logan?"  
  
"No, Chere." She sighed and lay back as he released her.  
  
"Oh my stars and garters," Beast quipped as Star's swollen abdomen was exposed under the thin shirt she wore.  
  
"Oh, wow. What's the matter with her?" Jubilee asked.  
  
"I have my suspicions, Jubilee. But I must acquire more data before I offer a hypothesis. Ah, Jean. Assist me with the sensors, if you would be so kind."  
  
"Of course, Henry." Gambit and Jubilee moved back to make room for Jean.  
  
"Hmm. Body temperature of one hundred and eight. Cooling her must be our first priority. She is delirious with the fever and I believe we are going to require her active participation to, so to speak, clear this hurdle."  
  
"Why is being so hot makin' her sick?" Jubilee asked. "I mean, she's been hot like this before and it never made her sick."  
  
"I believe the difference lies in the direction the heat producing energies are being expended. Previously, she has turned the energies outward. This time, if what I have begun to suspect is correct, the energies are being internalized."  
  
"Henry..."  
  
"Yes, Jean?"  
  
"I am sensing another life."  
  
"The sensors concur. Approximately six months gestation."  
  
"How is that possible?"  
  
  
  
  
"Huh?" Jubilee turned to Gambit for an explanation.  
  
"He say our little Star is with child."  
  
"With chi...? You mean she's pregnant?!? Man oh man. The Professor's gonna have a coronary!"  
  
"Hush, Chere."  
  
  
  
  
"Apparently the rapid growth rate Star herself experienced was genetically induced, rather than chemically as I had surmised."  
  
"What does this mean for the child?"  
  
"I don't know, but the sensor readings are...strange."  
  
"How do we reduce her temperature?"  
  
"Considering the extremity of her condition, I believe an ice bath will be necessary."  
  
  
  
  
"Come, Chere. We leave them to take care of her, no? Jubilee reluctantly accompanied Gambit from the med lab.  
  
"Well, I've got news for somebody. I'm not gonna baby-sit. Not for free, anyhow." Gambit smiled and steered her from the lab.  
  
  
  
  
  
Later, when Jean emerged, she found Gambit waiting for her.  
  
"How is de petite?" he asked.  
  
"Not good, Remy. We were unable to reduce her temperature." She sighed and looked back at the lab, "The child is growing much too fast, and Star is burning herself out trying to keep up with its needs." She shook her head. "Henry fears we may lose them both."  
  
"She awake?"  
  
"More or less. You may speak with her if you wish, she seems to rest more easily when someone is with her. Just do not expect her to be coherent."  
  
"Gambit coherent enough fo' us both, Chere." Jean smiled at him as he entered the lab. Gambit tried, hard, to convince everyone that he cared for no one but himself. But Jean knew better. She also knew that Star's repeated injuries had upset him more than he chose to admit, even to himself.  
  
"Ah, Gambit," Beast said, turning as the tall Cajun entered. "Come to visit our small one, I see." Gambit tapped the screen displaying the read out for Star's heart monitor which read three hundred and seventeen.  
  
"This is bad, no?"  
  
"Well, it is not good. But Star has shown remarkable...resilience."  
  
"L'enfant, it is Wolverine's?"  
  
"We are working under that assumption, but it may be incorrect."  
  
"This should not have happened, mon amie. She is just a baby."  
  
"No, my friend." Beast took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. "Physiologically and emotionally, Star is an adult. Wolverine was the first to recognize that."  
  
"He should not have touched her."  
  
"We do not know that he did. And in any case, it is none of our business what two adults choose to do together. Please remember, Star was raised in a completely asocial environment. She has absolutely no morals other than those she has learned during her brief time with us." He smiled at Gambit. "Star is a very attractive, albeit diminutive, woman. Can you truthfully say that, if she turned to you, her eyes full of the love she obviously feels for Wolverine, you could tell her no?" Gambit opened his mouth to answer, then paused, remembering. When she had offered herself to him she had approached it clinically, coldly, yet he'd been perilously close to accepting. If she'd had passion in her eyes instead... He shook his head and closed his mouth with a snap.  
  
"No," he finally answered. "I can not say that I could. But Wolverine should have known better."  
  
"Perhaps. But Wolverine is a rule unto himself." Star moaned softly and shifted positions. Both men turned toward her. Beast moved quickly to her side and gently pushed her back when she tried to sit up.  
  
"Henry?" she asked weakly.  
  
"Yes, Star. Hush now, you are very ill."  
  
"Henry? Have you...have you seen Logan?" She seemed to labor for every breath. "Has he come back? I need to...I need..." The heart monitor read close to four hundred and Beast eyed it with worry. Gambit moved to her other side and she turned to him, focusing with difficulty.  
  
"Hello...Remy," she said with a smile.  
  
"Hello, petite. Don't you worry 'bout Wolverine, Gambit find him fo' you."  
  
"Thank you." She sighed. "Please tell him...that I'm sorry. And that I love him."  
  
"Tell him you'self, petite. I bring him back to you," he glanced at Beast, his eyes glittering dangerously, "Whether he want to come or no."  
  
  
  
  
Gambit waited until Star had dropped back into her fitful doze, then left the med lab, a determined look on his face. Rogue came in just after he left.  
  
"Where's he goin' in such an all fired hurry?" she asked Beast.  
  
"I believe he went after Wolverine."  
  
"That don't sound good. Maybe Ah'd better tag along."  
  
"Perhaps that would be best." Rogue turned to follow Gambit. As she reached the front door, she heard the roar of his motorcycle and leaped into the air to intercept him.  
  
  
  
  
Gambit slewed his bike sideways as Rogue landed in the road before him.  
  
"Y'all wouldn't be thinkin' o' goin' without me, would ya, sugah?"  
  
"I'm goin' after Wolverine, Chere."  
  
"Shucks, sugah, Ah knew that. That's why Ah'm goin' along." She climbed onto the back of his bike. "Ta make sure ya both come back in the least possible number o' pieces. Now let's get goin'." Gambit paused for a long moment, then decided that it was useless to argue with her. Together, they rode the massive bike down the road, in search of Wolverine.  
  
  
  
  
"Hello, Beast. It's been a long time," the man on the phone said, smiling for a moment.  
  
"Hello, Forge."  
  
"What can X-Factor do for the X-Men today?" Forge asked. Beast rubbed his forehead tiredly before answering.  
  
"I am in more specific need of your talents, my friend." Forge's smile disappeared.  
  
"What's the problem?"  
  
"I have a patient that is immune to anesthetics and may require surgery. While her pain threshold is very high, I am reluctant to perform any further procedures while she is conscious."  
  
"Further procedures?"  
  
"It's a long story, and I fear she may not have the time to spare."  
  
"What of the Professor, or Jean?"  
  
"Complete psi block."  
  
"I see." He was silent for several seconds, "Do you have her EEG available?"  
  
"Yes, of course." Beast sighed. "In fact, I have several. She has spent entirely too much time in medical." He rubbed his eyes. "There is a complication, however."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"The girl is pregnant."  
  
"Hmm. You have an EEG for the fetus?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Send them to me please." Beast typed the command into the computer, calling up the appropriate records and sending them to Forge. "Time is of the essence?"  
  
"When is it not?"  
  
"I'll see what I can come up with."  
  
"Thank you, Forge. This child has suffered enough at our hands." They disconnected and Beast turned to look at Star. Occasionally she would moan or mutter. Her temperature had gone up another half degree. He'd tried everything he could think of to reduce her fever, but nothing had worked. When he'd tried immersing her in the ice bath her temperature had actually risen and he'd been forced to discontinue the effort. The sonograms of the child were not promising, either. The fetus was only vaguely human in appearance, and he feared for them both. If the fever didn't break soon, Star could be permanently brain damaged. Assuming she lived at all.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Gambit and Rogue found Wolverine's bike parked at the end of a long street lined with bars and other 'adult entertainment' establishments.  
  
"You take that side, Chere. I'll look over here." Gambit said as they parked his bike next to Wolverine's. Rogue looked at him suspiciously, her hands on her hips. "We find him faster that way, no?"  
  
"All right, Remy. But Ah'll take this side." She walked down the street and entered the first bar. Gambit grinned. There were only three or four places that Wolverine was likely to be, and only one of them was on Rogue's side of the street. Even if he was in there, and it was the least likely of the choices, she had to check each bar, while Gambit knew where to look and could beat her there. He wanted to have private words with Wolverine.  
  
  
  
  
True to form, Wolverine was in the last bar Gambit went to, the one on Rogue's side of the street. He was sitting alone at the back of the bar, a half full bottle on the table in front of him. Gambit walked quickly toward him.  
  
"Have a seat, Cajun," the smaller X-Man said without looking up.  
  
"I don't t'ink so," Gambit answered coldly. Wolverine looked up at him through narrowed eyes.  
  
"You got a problem?"  
  
"You d' problem, mon amie." Gambit stepped back as Wolverine put down his glass and slowly got to his feet.  
  
"You lookin' fer a fight, bub? I'd be mor'n happy ta give ya one." The other bar patrons became aware of the tension building at the back of the room. Some of them headed for the door, while others began to place wagers.  
  
"You man enough to fight me, Wolverine? Hah! You not man enough to stick aroun' when dat girl need you most."  
  
"Star don't need nobody, she showed us that, didn't she?" Gambit punched Wolverine, knocking him backwards into the table, the bottle smashing to the floor. Wolverine came up hard and fast, hitting the bigger man in the stomach with his shoulder. Both men went down. Several more patrons hastily left the bar as the circle of destruction around the combatants spread. Wolverine threw Gambit into the bar and was on him again at once. Gambit, reacting with the lightning speed born partly of his mutant abilities and partly from training and experience, dodged the worst of the attack, using Wolverine's own momentum to hurl him into a table. More patrons abandoned the bar. The bartender reached for the baseball bat he kept under the bar and started around to put a stop to the fight. He stepped up behind them and raised the bat, intending to take Wolverine out first, as he was currently on top. He started to swing but the bat stopped abruptly.  
  
"Ah wouldn't do that if Ah was you, sugah. Ya'll'd just make him mad." Rogue gave the started bartender his bat. "Ah'll take care o' this." She reached out and grabbed Wolverine, tossing him effortlessly across the room. When Gambit leaped up, she slapped him, knocking him back down. She turned just in time to deflect Wolverine. He returned more slowly this time.  
  
"Outta my way, girl."  
  
"Ah don't think so, sugah." She stayed resolutely between them. "We ain't got time fer you boys ta play. After this is over, if you still want to kill each other, fine! Get yer butts down ta the Danger Room and have at it fer all Ah care. But right now, that little gal needs us. She needs you, Wolverine."  
  
"Star?" Wolverine asked. "What's happened? Is she all right?"  
  
"She carry you child, Wolverine," Gambit interrupted. "Beast say it killin' her."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The baby's growin' too fast," Rogue told him. "She's been askin' fer ya." Wolverine was gone from the bar almost before Rogue finished speaking. She looked after him for a moment, then turned to Gambit.  
  
"So, sugah. Did you tell him anythin' first? Or did ya just jump on him with both feet?" Gambit didn't answer. "That's what Ah thought. You stay here an' take care o' this mess, Ah'm gonna make sure he gets back in one piece." She left him standing in the ruin of the bar.  
  
  
  
  
  
The equipment Forge had constructed arrived and Beast was making final preparations to perform a cesarean section on Star. The strength of her contractions was such that they were visible from across the room, but her hips were much too narrow to deliver a child the size of the one his instruments reported within her belly. Jean tried to calm her, while Storm prepared to assist Beast with the surgery.  
  
As he approached with the device Star abruptly sat up.  
  
"Logan?" she asked, her body shuddering with another contraction.  
  
"Not yet, but I am certain he will return soon," Storm said as she and Jean tried to ease her to her back.  
  
"No. He hates me. I betrayed him again," Star sobbed.  
  
"Star, he does not hate you. Please, child, let us take care of you."  
  
"No!" she shouted, shrugging Jean and Storm off as if they were children. "Let me die with my son, for he cannot live, and I will be alone again!"  
  
The two women regained their feet and moved quickly to help Beast. Star fought like a wild animal, biting and clawing, as well as using more sophisticated moves. Beast snapped Forge's device across her forehead just as her probing fingers found the nerve ganglion in his shoulder. He cried out and jerked away from her, his arm a dead weight at his side. Jean telekinetically turned the device on and Star slumped to the bed, unconscious.  
  
"Goddess!" Storm gasped.  
  
"Who the devil showed her pressure points?" Beast demanded.  
  
"That would be you, Henry," Jean answered him with the ghost of a smile.  
  
"Yes. Of course," he sighed. "We'd best begin."  
  
  
  
  
Star floated in the darkness. She didn't know where she was, but it was terribly hot. She turned seeking the source of the heat and finally found it. It was a seething mass of wildly replicating cells. It was growing so fast that is had begun to feed on itself. She watched, helpless, as it burned itself out. She gathered it to her, making wordless sounds of comfort to the dying creature she knew to be her son. When he died, she felt a part of herself go with him. The heat faded away, but she couldn't find her way back. She couldn't seem to call up the will to continue looking, either. There was nothing to go back for.  
  
  
"Henry, the baby..." Jean began.  
  
"Is gone. I know." He completed the final incision, gently reached within Star's motionless body and carefully lifted out the creature which had struggled so desperately to live. They had been unable to help, and Beast feared for the life of its mother.  
  
"Dear God," Jean murmured as she took the lifeless body from Beast, wrapping it tenderly in the blankets they had prepared for a living child. Storm and Beast completed the procedure without speaking.  
  
They left Forge's device in place after they had finished in order to spare Star as much pain as possible. They knew there would be much pain in the future.  
  
  
  



	5. Default Chapter Title

  
Rogue landed gently on the front lawn of the mansion and walked up the steps and in through the door. She went straight to the med lab.  
  
"Hi, sugah. How's the little gal?" she greeted Beast.  
  
"Rogue, did you find him?"  
  
"Yeah. He'll be here any second." Rogue was taken aback by Beast's abruptness. "Ah didn't think a bike could move that fast." She looked around for Star and was relieved to see her still in the hospital type bed they kept in the med lab. "What's wrong?" Beast started to answer, but was interrupted by Wolverine's entrance. He went immediately to Star's side. Beast and Rogue joined him.  
  
"Wolverine, I must speak with you for a moment." Beast said as Wolverine touched Star's cheek as if to reassure himself that she really was there. He gestured at the odd looking device which was placed across Star's forehead.  
  
"What's that contraption?" he asked.  
  
"A neural inhibitor. Now will you please listen." Wolverine turned reluctantly from Star and faced Beast.  
  
"You got my attention, Hank. What's going on?"  
  
"Were you aware that Star was pregnant?"  
  
"You think I'd o' taken off if I'd known that?"  
  
"Her own accelerated growth rate was a genetically engineered trait which she passed on to the...the embryo. Complete gestation took under four days." Beast looked away for a moment before continuing. "She went into labor several hours ago, but the...it was much too large for a natural delivery. Forge sent over the neural inhibitor earlier today at my request. It worked well, even though Star fought us." He paused to clear his throat as Wolverine watched him expectantly. "I performed a cesarean section, and succeeded in delivering the...the..."  
  
"You got somethin' against the word 'baby'?"  
  
"No, Logan. Except that it wasn't, exactly, a baby."  
  
"What do ya mean, it wasn't a baby?"  
  
"The genetically accelerated growth rate caused the embryo to...well, it wasn't human. Not even remotely. It didn't survive."  
  
"What about Star?"  
  
"She'll be all right if the extended period of high fever didn't cause brain damage. I haven't been able to evaluate her." He paused. "Wolverine, her temperature spiked to one hundred twelve degrees." Wolverine looked down at Star.  
  
"This thing keepin' her out?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Can ya wake her up without lettin' her hurt?"  
  
"I believe that should be possible. However, it would be wise to check the restraints first. She was somewhat combative when we initiated the inhibitor." He carefully checked the straps which kept the unconscious girl immobilized. Only when he was satisfied that Star would be unable to injure herself did he move to the controls for the inhibitor. He slowly adjusted them until Star began to stir.  
  
"Star?" Wolverine said softly. "Darlin'? Can ya hear me?"  
  
"Hmm?" He cupped her chin with one hand, his fingers caressing her cheek. She turned toward him and slowly opened her eyes. She looked up at him, but there was no recognition in her eyes. Beast adjusted the controls further, but she still showed no sign of complete awareness. When she began to moan with pain, he turned the dials back until she was completely unconscious.  
  
"Perhaps later, we will have better results." Wolverine nodded, but continued to watch Star with worried eyes. Beast was worried also. She should have shown much greater cognizance of her surroundings. He chose not to say anything to Wolverine, at least until he had been able to run some comprehensive tests.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The days passed and the X-Men buried the pathetic little body of the thing that should have been a child. Star's body healed, but it quickly became evident that she had sustained lasting damage from the extended period of high body temperature she had endured. Wolverine stayed with her almost constantly, even after it became obvious that she did not recognize him. She could not speak, and responded only to the simplest of commands. Wolverine was heartbroken, but he refused to give up on her. He worked with her tirelessly, but she showed no signs of improvement. Finally, Professor Xavier called Wolverine into his study.  
  
"Logan, we need to discuss Star's future." Wolverine just looked at him, his gaze openly hostile. The Professor sighed. "We are not capable of giving Star the care she needs."  
  
"I ain't gonna just dump the kid, Chuck."  
  
"I am not suggesting that we 'dump' her, Logan. However, there are several facilities which are more...suitable...for Star's condition." Wolverine didn't answer. The Professor watched him for a moment, then tore a sheet of paper from a notepad on his desk. He held it out to Wolverine, who reluctantly accepted it. "These are the facilities I have investigated. Cost, of course, is not an issue. The X-Men take care of their own and Star was, however briefly, an X-Man. Logan, this is difficult for all of us, but please keep in mind what is best for Star."  
  
  
  
  
A few days later, his decision made after Star was badly cut playing with a knife that had been on a rack in the kitchen, Wolverine packed a small bag for Star. Professor Xavier had telephoned the Maple Woods Care Facility, and they were expecting her. Wolverine helped her into the jeep, and made certain that her seat belt was fastened. Jubilee brought a small teddy bear to Star.  
  
"This is just so you won't feel all alone," she said, smiling at Star. Star just looked at her, her face expressionless. Jubilee sighed and placed the bear in Star's lap. Star absently stroked the soft fur of the toy with her bandaged hand, her gaze wandering away from Jubilee.  
  
"Will she be okay there, Wolvie?"  
  
"I hope so, darlin'."  
  
"Is she going to get better?"  
  
"I don't know." Jubilee's heart ached at the pain she saw in Wolverine's eyes. He always kept his hurts locked inside. "We gotta get goin', Jube. I'll be back tomorrow."  
  
"Okay. Be careful." Jubilee watched as Wolverine and Star drove away.  
  
  
  
  
Wolverine stopped the jeep and looked up at the large building. There were several patients sitting on the porch, watchful attendants nearby. The patients were clean and seemed to be content. Xavier had done extensive background checks on the facility as well as the employees and other patients. It was strictly a private facility, receiving no public monies, and had a rigid policy of refusing dangerous patients. There were several highly qualified therapists on staff as well. Star would be well taken care of here. He put the jeep in park and got out. He walked around and unfastened Star's seat belt, gently urging her to get out of the jeep. She continued to hold the bear Jubilee had given her, but she showed no curiosity for her surroundings. A red haired woman in her mid thirties appeared in the door of the building.  
  
"Mr. Logan?" Wolverine turned toward her, Star's bag in hand.  
  
"I'm Doctor Flanigan. And you must be Star." She took Star's hand and smiled down at her. "I think you are going to enjoy your stay here, Star," she said, ignoring Star's vacant gaze. "If you will come this way, Mr. Logan, we can show Star to her room and get her settled. Then, if you would like, we can discuss possible courses of treatment."  
  
"All right." The doctor turned and, still holding Star's hand, led them into the building. The interior reminded Wolverine strikingly of the mansion where he and the other X-Men lived.  
  
"It don't look much like a hospital."  
  
"No, it doesn't. It is our intention to allow our guests to feel at ease here. Something that is difficult to achieve in a hospital surrounding," she gestured, "We have private rooms for each guest, as well as common rooms for socializing. Star's room is on the ground floor, with a large exterior window."  
  
"Here we are, dear," she said to Star as she opened a door half way down a long hall. "This is your room Star." Star crossed to the window and stood, looking out. "The window glass is unbreakable, Mr. Logan." She joined Star at the window. "Would you like to go out, dear?" she asked. Star put one hand on the glass and pushed. "No, Star. Use the door." She turned Star toward the door. "Jenny," she called.  
  
"Yes, Dr. Flanigan?" a female voice answered from a speaker mounted on the wall near the door. Star turned toward the sound.  
  
"Star would like to go outside for a while."  
  
"All right, Doctor. Mary Jean is free at the moment. I'll send her down."  
  
"Thank you." A few moments later a tall blonde woman appeared in the door.  
  
"Hello, Mary. I'd like you to meet our new arrival, Star. Star," once more the doctor gently turned Star, who had drifted back to the window, until she faced Mary, "this is Mary. Go with Mary, Star." Mary took Star's hand and smiled at her.  
  
"Hi, Star. C'mon, we'll go feed the squirrels." Star followed her out the door and down the hall, without so much as a backwards glance at Wolverine. He put her bag down on the dresser as the doctor watched him.  
  
"Mr. Logan, we will do everything we can for Star."  
  
"I didn't want ta bring her here."  
  
"I know. Placing a loved one in the hands of strangers is difficult in the best of times, but I assure you, you have made the correct decision. We can devote the time to Star that she needs. And you are welcome to visit any time. In fact, the more often you come, the better it will be for Star. She may not be responsive to you at this time, but I assure you, somewhere deep down inside, she knows you."  
  
"I'll have ta take yer word on that, Doc." She looked at him for a moment.  
  
"I can't promise you any miracles, but I will promise you that Star will recover as much as she is able." She lead him to her office, another non-standard room, with several comfortable easy chairs, and a small desk, with a computer on it, in the corner.  
  
  
  
  
Several hours later, reassured that he had, indeed, made the correct choice in bringing Star here, Wolverine told her good-bye. She smiled up at him, the first time he'd seen her smile since her illness. He gathered her gently in his arms, kissed her on the forehead, and released her. He climbed into the jeep and drove away, leaving her with Mary and Dr. Flanigan.  
  
"Mary, help her put her things away, and then get her ready for dinner, please. We'll begin her therapy tomorrow."  
  
  
  
  
As the sun went down, Wolverine pulled the jeep to the side of the road and got out. He had taken the back road so there was very little traffic. He sat on the hood of the jeep and lit his cigar. He watched as the sun sank from sight, remembering.  
  
  
  
  
He'd been startled the first time Star had exhibited a sense of humor. He didn't remember exactly what it was she'd said, but she'd delivered the punch line with such a straight face that he hadn't been sure it was meant as a joke. Until he'd seen her eyes. They'd sparkled with suppressed merriment. He'd nearly choked and she had finally grinned at him. That was the first time he'd ever heard her laugh, really laugh. Now she barely recognized her own name. Ruthlessly, he suppressed that thought, turning to pleasanter memories.  
  
  
  
  
He stayed there until dawn, remembering. He just couldn't accept that Star might be lost to him forever. He put his cigar, long cold, back in his pocket. He got back in the jeep and started the long, lonely drive home.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The next week was uneventful. He returned to Maple Woods in the early afternoon. He parked his jeep in a space marked 'visitors' and walked slowly toward the building. He was greeted at the door by a friendly, but wary, attendant.  
  
"Good afternoon, sir. How can I help you?"  
  
"I came ta see Star."  
  
"Of course. And who are you, please?" Before Wolverine could answer, Dr. Flanigan came out of her office.  
  
"Its all right, David. I will vouch for Mr. Logan." The attendant nodded and moved back to his desk beside the door. "As you can see, we do not allow just anyone access to our guests."  
  
"That's one o' the reasons I brought Star here, Doc. She's important ta me, an' I don't want her hurt."  
  
"She is quite a remarkable young woman. She has already made some progress. I believe she is outside now." They walked to the nurse's station, at the back of the building.  
  
"Jenny, do you know where Star and Rachel are?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am. They're down at the lake."  
  
"Thank you. This way, Mr. Logan." The Doctor took Wolverine out the back door and down a curving path toward a small lake.  
  
"You said she'd made some progress?"  
  
"Yes, indeed. She is more aware of her surroundings than she was a week ago." She sighed, "You must understand, Mr. Logan, that even such a small thing is to be considered great progress in a patient with damage as severe as Star's. We have hopes that she'll be able to speak again, someday, though that is far in the future. With many patients, we are able to teach them to use different pathways in their brains, working around the injuries. With Star, well, she sustained so much tissue damage, that there just aren't that many pathways left." Wolverine stopped, staring at the doctor.  
  
"Yer tellin' me there's no hope."  
  
"There is always hope, Mr. Logan. But I don't want you to be disappointed when you see Star." They continued down the path in silence. Finally, Wolverine saw Star. She was sitting on the bank of the lake, tearing bread into small pieces and throwing it into the water for the waiting ducks, who greedily snatched it up.  
  
"Rachel," Doctor Flanigan called and a young woman, sitting with her back to a tree, turned from watching Star to greet them.  
  
"Hello, Doctor." She got up from the grass and came toward them.  
  
"This is Mr. Logan. He is a friend of Star's. Would you call her, please?"  
  
"Certainly." Rachel went to the water's edge and spoke quietly to Star, who reluctantly put the bread down and turned away from the greedy ducks. Rachel led her over to where Wolverine and Doctor Flanigan waited. Star looked at Wolverine and a puzzled frown creased her forehead. She stepped forward and reached up to touch his face.  
  
"Hello, Star," he whispered, his voice rough with emotion. Doctor Flanigan gestured and she and Rachel withdrew, leaving Star and Wolverine alone. Wolverine scarcely noticed when they left. Star took his hand and led him down the path and into the trees. She took him to a large tree in a clearing which overlooked the lake. It was beautiful, and reminded him of the mountain lake not far from his cabin. She sat down next to the tree and pulled him down next to her. He put his arm around her and she snuggled up against him. They stayed that way for a long time, neither moving.  
  
Suddenly the injustice of it all broke through Wolverine's steely facade and he found himself clutching a handful of grass with his free hand, his knuckles white. His teeth were clenched against the rage he felt, his breath grew ragged. Star turned in his arm and looked up at him. Her eyes were sad as she reached up and stroked his cheek. The gentle gesture was too much for him. He gathered her into his arms and held her tightly as he cried. She crooned wordlessly, caressing him, trying to comfort him, though she truly didn't understand. Finally, his grief lessened somewhat, he released his near crushing grip. She stayed in his arms and smiled up at him.  
  
"Darlin', I miss you so much. The mansion is just so empty without you." She watched him intently as he spoke to her. He told her of everything that had happened since she had been gone. Told her of Jubilee's difficulties with her math text, and of how the other X-Men were doing. He talked to her for hours, until he realized that it was growing dark. He got up slowly, helping Star to her feet, and they started back toward the hospital. She held his hand all the way back. Rachel greeted them at the door.  
  
"Hello Mr. Logan. Star, did you enjoy your outing?" Star smiled at Rachel. "Come on, honey. We need to get you ready for dinner. Mr. Logan, there is a guest room at the end of the hall if you'd like to clean up and join us for dinner."  
  
"Thanks." He watched as Rachel took Star to her room, then turned to the guest room. He washed his face and hands, and ran a comb through his hair, for all the good it did. His locks were as unruly as ever. He'd just finished when he heard a tapping at the door. He opened it to see Doctor Flanigan waiting for him. She smiled at him and he smiled back. The first time he'd felt like smiling since Star had become ill.  
  
"Well, your visit seems to have done you as much good as Star." She peered at him for a moment. "We do have a counseling service for the families of our patients, Mr. Logan."  
  
"Thanks, Doc. But this is somethin' I'm gonna hafta work out for myself."  
  
"As you wish. The dining room is this way. I believe that Rachel has already taken Star there." He followed her to a large room. It was set up with several large tables, somehow suggesting more a family dining room than an institution. She pointed out Star's table, where an extra place had been set for him.  
  
After dinner, and he had to admit that the food was quite good, he helped Star clear the table.  
  
"Each patient has certain chores to do, Mr. Logan. Doctor Flanigan feels that it helps in their recovery," Rachel explained. When the dishes had been returned to the kitchen, Rachel turned to him again.  
  
"Its nearly time for Star to go to bed, Mr. Logan, if you'd care for a few minutes to say good-bye?"  
  
"Please." He took Star's hand and led her out onto the porch. He just stood looking at her for a long moment. Finally, he reached out and smoothed her hair and, bending slightly, he kissed her gently on the lips. "G'bye, darlin'. I'll be back, I promise." She held to his hand for a moment longer, then he turned her and sent her back into the building, where Rachel was waiting to put her to bed. She looked back at him once, then followed Rachel deeper into the building. Somehow, the trip back to the mansion didn't seem to take as long.  
  
  
  
Wolverine visited Star every week, and the two of them fed the ducks, or walked through the woods. Star was still unable to speak, but she seemed to be gaining ground. She smiled more often, and she always listened attentively when he spoke to her.  
  
"Star is truly a joy, Mr. Logan," the doctor had told him. "She always puts out the maximum effort during her therapy sessions. In fact, the other patients seem to do better when she is around." It grew no easier to leave her at the end of each visit, but it cheered him immeasurably to see that she recognized him when he returned.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
He pulled into the drive of the Xavier Institute for gifted children late one night, after visiting Star, and was surprised to see the light on in Charles' study. He entered the mansion quietly, not wanting to disturb anyone.  
  
"Wolverine?"  
  
"Yeah, Chuck. Its me."  
  
"Could I see you for a moment?"  
  
"Sure." He stepped into the study. Charles Xavier's expression was grim. "What's the matter?"  
  
"The groundskeeper approached me today. After the heavy rains we have had, he was checking for erosion at the cemetery," Wolverine watched him, a feeling of unease growing in his soul. "The area around Star's baby's grave had completely collapsed. Cyclops and Beast went up to look at the damage."  
  
"And?" Wolverine prompted him when he paused.  
  
"The coffin is missing. From the appearance of the site, it was removed shortly after the interment."  
  
"Somebody stole the kid's body?" Wolverine was outraged. Even in death, they couldn't find peace. "Who'd do somethin' like that?"  
  
"I don't know. Someone took great pains to hide the removal. I felt you should know, Logan."  
  
"Yeah. Thanks." His voice was expressionless. Without another word, he turned and left the study. Instead of going to his room, he turned to the Danger Room, the only outlet he'd had for his feelings in the weeks since he'd taken Star to Maple Woods. It had begun to feel like all the bad guys had gone into hibernation. It was dawn before he left the Danger Room.  
  
  
  
  
The following day, news reached the X-Men that Lady Deathstrike was in the United States. She had entered the country in New York, then had dropped from sight.  
  
"No one seems to know what she is doing in this country, Wolverine. There is some indication that she was not traveling alone." Professor Xavier said.  
  
"Prob'ly got some o' those damn Reavers with her. I'll check with my sources, see if anybody's heard anythin'." Wolverine used the phone for several hours, without success.  
  
"Gonna take a more personal touch ta get anythin', Chuck," he said as he grabbed his hat and headed for the door. "I'll be back in a couple o' days."  
  
"Be careful, Wolverine."  
  
"Ain't I always?" The door closed behind him.  
  
"Rarely, my friend," Xavier said to himself.  
  
  
  
  
Wolverine wasn't having any better luck getting a line on Lady Deathstrike in person than he'd had on the phone. It seemed as if she had disappeared from the face of the planet. Finally, he got lucky. In a seamy bar on the lower east side, he ran into an old pal named Maverick. They weren't always on the best of terms, and they both approached the meeting cautiously.  
  
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Logan. Where've you been keeping yourself lately?"  
  
"Here an' there. You know how it is."  
  
"Yeah." Maverick paused to take a sip of his beer. "I hear the Lady's gunnin' for you."  
  
"So what else is new? She's always gunnin' fer me."  
  
"I heard she's called in backup this time. That she's looking to take you down, soon."  
  
"Ya hear where she's workin' from?"  
  
"Someplace in Massachusetts."  
  
"Figures. I got people there."  
  
"You need any help? Deathstrike's a bad customer."  
  
"No, thanks. I got backup."  
  
"Take care of yourself, Logan. The world's a scary place."  
  
"Tell me somethin' I don't know." The two men finished their drinks and parted company.  
  
  
  
  
Wolverine stayed close to the mansion for the next several weeks, expecting Deathstrike to show up at any time. He knew that it wouldn't matter to her if he was there or not, she would do as much damage as possible, so he might as well make it easy on her. He stayed away from Star. If Deathstrike didn't already know about the girl, there was no point in giving her the information. He called regularly and spoke to Star who smiled at him even if she couldn't respond. After one call, Doctor Flanigan asked to speak with him.  
  
"Sure, Doc. How's she doin'?"  
  
"Truthfully, Mr. Logan, since you stopped coming to visit her regularly, she has begun to deteriorate." The doctor glared at him from the view screen. "She still needs you, even if you don't need her."  
  
"I'm just tryin' ta protect her, Doc. I got some folks mad at me that wouldn't hesitate ta use Star against me."  
  
"I see. And how long is this going to continue?"  
  
"'Til I find them. Or they find me."  
  
"I hope you resolve this quickly. Star is a very sweet girl, but she needs your support more than you can possibly know."  
  
"I'll come as soon's its safe for her."  
  
"Fine," the doctor said coldly and disconnected.  
  
  
  
  
Another month passed with no sign of Deathstrike or her Reavers. Wolverine received another call from Doctor Flanigan.  
  
"What's the matter, Doc? Is Star all right?"  
  
"No, she is not. She has completely withdrawn. She refuses to cooperate in her therapy sessions, and she has begun to refuse food. She won't even go outside anymore."  
  
"I didn't realize..."  
  
"I tried to tell you before. This girl is very fragile."  
  
"I'll be there as quick as I can."  
  
"I hope you're not already too late." She hung up.  
  
Wolverine knocked on the door to Xavier's study.  
  
"Come in."  
  
"Chuck, that was Doc Flanigan. Star ain't doin' so good. I gotta go to her."  
  
"I thought you believed it to be too dangerous to visit her."  
  
"The good outweighs the bad. I've gotta take the chance." Professor Xavier looked at him for a moment.  
  
"Do you want anyone to accompany you?"  
  
"No. Figure I can slip in by myself a lot easier."  
  
"Be careful, Wolverine."  
  
  
  



	6. Default Chapter Title

  
Wolverine was careful to take back roads to Maple Woods, to lessen the chance of anyone following him. He also took the precaution of renting a car, under another name, for the trip. He couldn't know that Lady Deathstrike already knew about Star, and had the hospital under surveillance. Her mercenaries reported to her as soon as he left the vehicle and entered the building.  
  
  
  
  
Doctor Flanigan meet him at the door. She was clearly angry, but she didn't say anything as she escorted him to Star's room. She tapped on the door, then opened it. Star was sitting on the floor by the large window. Jubilee's teddy bear held loosely in one arm. She stared out the window, apparently seeing nothing.  
  
"Star," Wolverine said, stepping into the room. She didn't even turn her head. He moved quickly to her side and bent to one knee beside her. He gently took her arm in one hand, turning her head toward him with the other hand. She looked right through him.  
  
"Star, darlin' I'm sorry. Please come back ta me." As soon as he released her chin, she turned back to the window.  
  
"How long's she been like this?"  
  
"Since yesterday evening. I had hoped to be able to bring her out of it without disturbing you."  
  
"Disturbin' me?! Lady, I'd do anythin' in the world fer her!"  
  
"Except come to see her, perhaps?"  
  
"I told ya, it wasn't safe fer her."  
  
"Please, Mr. Logan. I've heard every excuse there is for not visiting our guests, and yours was one of the least believable."  
  
"Mebbe so, but it was the truth." She clearly didn't believe him. He turned back to Star and lifted her gently to her feet. She didn't resist him. He picked her up and carried her to the bed, placing her on it as if she were made of glass. He picked up her teddy bear and placed it in her arms. As he did so, he noticed a bruise on the inside of her arm.  
  
"Where'd she get this?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"This bruise." He turned her arm for the doctor to see.  
  
"I don't know. Keiko didn't say anything about her being hurt."  
  
"Who the hell's Keiko?"  
  
"Star's attendant. Rachel was killed in a automobile accident over a month ago. Keiko took her place. David," Doctor Flanigan said, speaking to the intercom, "would you ask Keiko to join us in Star's room?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Doctor. Keiko left at noon, and hasn't come back." Wolverine exchanged a glance with the doctor, then moved to lift Star from the bed.  
  
"Wait a minute, I want another look at that bruise." She turned Star's arm toward her, examining the bruise. "There is a puncture at the center of the bruise. She's been drugged."  
  
"Its gotta be mor'n that, Doc. Most drugs don't affect her in the slightest."  
  
"I really should do a blood test."  
  
"Later. I gotta get her outta here." Doctor Flanigan looked at him.  
  
"You were serious about the danger, weren't you?"  
  
"Yeah. Now get outta my way." Star was unresponsive in his arms as he moved quickly through the hallways toward a side door. An explosion from the front of the building ripped through the quiet of the evening. Glancing out the dining room window, he saw his rented car burning. The lights went out in the building, the power lines undoubtedly cut. He kicked the door open and went through it at a run, dodging even as he hit the open lawn, Star a limp weight in his arms. He made it to the cover of the surrounding trees without being brought down. He ran. When he could no longer hear his pursuers crashing through the brush he paused, putting Star down.  
  
"Star, darlin' can you hear me?" She didn't respond. "Babe, we ain't got time fer this. I need ya ta stay right here, do ya understand? Right here." He pushed her down until she was sitting motionless in the underbrush. "I'll be back for ya soon's I can, girl." He turned away from her, his claws extended, and began to hunt his hunters.  
  
  
  
  
He found the first less than one hundred yards from where he'd left Star. He stepped up behind the man, unmistakably a Reaver. At the last moment, the man turned toward him. He tried to bring his weapons to bear, but Wolverine was far too close. He died without firing a shot. The second was almost as easy, though he cried out as he fell.  
  
"Logan," he heard a heavily accented woman's voice calling from the direction of the hospital building. "Come back, Logan, or I will kill the lovely doctor." He peered cautiously through the trees and saw Lady Deathstrike, standing in front of the burning car, Doctor Flanigan held firmly before her, her long clawed fingers caressing the doctor's throat.  
  
"Let her go, Yuriko," he said stepping into the open.  
  
"Now why should I do that, Logan?"  
  
"Keiko, what are you doing?"  
  
"Quiet, doctor, I am speaking with Logan. Don't you Americans know that it is bad manners to interrupt?" Doctor Flanigan shut up, the razor claws just parting the flesh of her throat.  
  
"Yuriko..."  
  
"Do not call me that! Yuriko is dead. I am Lady Deathstrike!"  
  
"All right, 'Lady Deathstrike'. Let her go. I'll go with you."  
  
"I know you will, Logan." He felt a sudden pain in his shoulder, the impact of a projectile staggering him. He looked down and saw the tail of a tranquilizer dart protruding from his shoulder. He yanked it out, only to be struck by another, this time in the back, where he could not reach it. He stumbled forward as the Lady released the doctor. He fell to his knees before her, the drugs coursing through his system.  
  
"Find the girl," he heard Deathstrike order.  
  
"No!" he cried. "Leave her alone!"  
  
"Not a chance, lover," she answered him. "Its ever so much more interesting to watch you squirm when there is an, shall we say, 'innocent' involved." He tried to reach her, but his body would not respond. He collapsed at her feet, unconscious. He didn't see them bring Star out of the woods. Nor did he see it when they set fire to the Maple Woods Care Facility. Doctor Flanigan and the other attendants quickly evacuated the patients from the building, and could only watch helplessly as the Reavers loaded Wolverine's body into the back of an ambulance. Star was placed in another vehicle, and the attackers drove away, leaving only the echo of Lady Deathstrike's triumphant laughter ringing in their ears.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Wolverine woke to the sound of a low moaning. He lifted his head and added his own groan to the monotonous sound.  
  
"Ah, Logan. I see you have rejoined us," he heard Lady Deathstrike say. He tried to turn toward her and discovered that he was bound. His hands and forearms were encased in heavy metal sleeves which were, in turn, attached to the wall slightly above shoulder height and at full extension. His legs, too, were immobilized, his feet suspended just above the floor.  
  
The moaning continued as he tried to extend his claws, only to have them meet the impervious surface of the sleeves. As he had suspected, they were lined with adamantium. Deathstrike might be crazy, but she wasn't stupid. She stepped in front of him, her cyborg components once more concealed.  
  
"Do you like the song she sings, Logan?" she gestured at a speaker mounted on the opposite wall. "The Americans coddle these creatures far too much. Why, she has made more progress in just a few hours than in all the time I was with her in that stupid hospital." Wolverine ground his teeth in helpless fury as Deathstrike placed one hand lightly on his chest. "She understands much of what is said to her, you know. I've spent much of the last month telling her all about you. About how you abandoned her, just like you abandoned me. She's so sweet. She didn't want to believe me, but when you didn't come to see her, well, what choice did she have?"  
  
"Leave her alone, Yuriko. What can you gain by hurting her?"  
  
"What can I gain?" she laughed, a truly nasty sound. "I gain revenge, Logan. For what you did to my father. For what you forced me to become!" She extended her cyborg claws, digging them into his chest. His blood flowed for a moment, then the wounds closed.  
  
"Nobody forced ya to do nothin', Yuriko. You did that to yerself."  
  
"Perhaps," she turned away from him, scrupulously cleaning the blood from her claws before retracting them. "Just the same, you will pay, in her blood!" She stalked from the room, leaving him to listen to Star. It was hours before the sounds finally ceased, while he tried frantically to free himself. Deathstrike would kill Star slowly, just to watch his reactions. He had to get loose!  
  
  
The silence, while merciful, was short lived. He heard a door opening, followed by Deathstrike's voice.  
  
"Wake up Star. It is time for your lesson." Deathstrike slapped her, waking her roughly. Star cried out, fear and pain audible in her voice. "That's a good girl. Oh, does your arm hurt you? Let Keiko look at it for you." Star whimpered, the sound setting his teeth on edge. "Well, no wonder it hurts. It is broken, after all. Why, how funny it looks, Star, all bent in the wrong place. We'll have to be careful with it won't we." Star screamed, "Oops! I bumped it didn't I?" Deathstrike's voice lowered, her words dripping malice. "Do you remember Logan, Star? He's here, darling. Oh, don't look hopeful, dear. He abandoned you before, you don't really think he's here to help you, do you? Don't be silly. He doesn't need any little mental cripple tying him down, now does he? Well, don't worry. When I'm finished with you, you won't be a burden to him any longer." The door opened, then closed again. The speaker was silent for a few moments, then faintly, he could hear Star begin to cry, hopelessly, like an abandoned and forgotten child. His heart broke anew at the sound.  
  
  
  
  
  
Star lay on the cold floor, her broken arm cradled against her chest. She didn't know where she was, only that Keiko, who had been her friend, was hurting her. Keiko had told her that Logan didn't care what happened to her, but she wasn't sure she believed her. It seemed to be getting easier to think things through, and Keiko was too pleased with herself when she'd told her about Logan. She had a vague memory of his arms around her, of a run through the trees. If he'd truly abandoned her, what had happened then? Was she just confused, as she'd been for a long time? One day faded into the next, with no clear memory of anything before yesterday. What was going on? What was wrong with her? Keiko had called her a mental cripple. Had she been injured? She fought to silence her sobs, finding a reserve of will with which to defy Keiko. She knew her resolve would be tested soon, but she was so tired, she didn't know how long she would be able to hold out. If Logan truly were here, then he was in just as much trouble as she, or he would have come for her by now. Still cradling her arm, her mind spinning, she slept.  
  
  
  
  
"Well, Logan. What do you think of my little drama so far?" Lady Deathstrike asked as she entered Wolverine's cell. He just glared at her. "Perhaps you don't like my cast of characters, is that it? Well, I think we can make it more interesting. I've told my Reaver to enjoy himself." She reached up and turned a knob on the speaker, just as the sound of an opening door was transmitted. The sound intensified. Wolverine struggled with his bonds as Lady Deathstrike, laughing, closed the door behind her.  
  
  
  
  
Star woke when the door opened. She watched as a big man entered and closed the door behind him. She knew that he'd been sent to hurt her and she was unable to suppress a whimper as he approached. He reached down as she cowered away from him and dragged her to her feet, shoving her backwards. Her back against the wall of the room, she was able to remain standing when he released her. He stood very close to her, so close that she could feel his breath on her cheek.  
  
"The Lady said I was ta hurt ya some more, girl. Only this time, the only restriction is that I ain't supposed ta kill ya. Let's see how close to the line I can get, what d'ya say? Besides, you look like a party girl."  
  
  
  
Wolverine listened in horror as the Reaver tormented Star. He struggled with his bonds, to no avail. His blood froze as Star's muffled cries reached him. The knowledge of what the Reaver was doing to her pushed Wolverine into a berserker fury. He lunged, twisting against his bonds. He felt muscles tearing, but the metal sleeves didn't give an inch. He screamed with rage, and continued to fight for freedom.  
  
  
  
  
"A real woman woulda enjoyed that," the Reaver laughed. Star turned to her side, drawing her knees up against all the pain. "But I forgot, you ain't nothin' but a feeb, are ya?" He chuckled nastily, exploring her body with his eyes, somehow making her feel even dirtier than had his actual touch. "And you ain't got enough marks on ya to make the Lady happy." He reached down and grabbed her arm. The broken bones ground together in his grip, and this time, at last, she did faint.  
  
  
  
  
Wolverine heard Star cry out once more, then she made no further sound as the Reaver beat her. He didn't know whether to pray that she was alive, or to hope that she had escaped into death, where their captors could not reach her.  
  
He lifted his head, his body exhausted by his futile struggles, as Lady Deathstrike entered his cell.  
  
"Were you amused by their performance, Logan? I admit that my Reaver has little imagination, but his methods are effective, do you not agree?"  
  
"You are without honor, Yuriko," he said quietly.  
  
"I?!?" she snarled. "I am without honor? It is you who killed my father, Gaijin, or have you forgotten? I swore that I would cleanse the earth of you and all of your blood, and that includes your little whore." She stepped up to him, her eyes wild. She snatched a long bladed knife from her belt and drove it into his chest. The blade was poisoned, and he could feel it eating into him like an acid. She slowly withdrew the weapon.  
  
"I will see you die, Logan," she said as the room darkened around him. "But not yet. There was not enough poison on my blade to kill you, and I am not yet finished with your woman." If she said anything further, he didn't hear it as he fell into the darkness.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It was dark and she was alone. More than anything, she hated being alone. She was lying on a bare floor and she was cold. She tried to sit up and realized that she was bound, and that she hurt all over. A door opened and she was momentarily blinded as the room was flooded with light. She blinked in the glare until her eyes cleared. A woman stood in the doorway. It was Keiko. Only it wasn't, quite. Her arms were oddly elongated and ended in sharply clawed, long fingered hands. Her eyes were cold.  
  
"Bring the Gaijin whore," she said to someone behind her. "I want him to watch her die before I kill him." The woman moved away from the door and a man stepped into the room. Star cringed despite herself, for this was the same man that had just hurt her so badly. He grinned at her, then lifted her effortlessly to his shoulder, knocking the breath out of her. She struggled for air as the room grew dim around her.  
  
  
  
  
When Wolverine regained consciousness the speaker was silent. He renewed his attack on the bonds that held him. His heart beat, still sluggish from the poison, quickened when he felt the mounting bracket for the manacle on his left arm shift ever so slightly. His body glistened with sweat from his exertions when the door to his cell suddenly opened and Lady Deathstrike entered, followed by a Reaver who had Star casually thrown over one shoulder. She was covered with blood, and he could see many bruises on her naked body. She was still bleeding and he watched as her blood dripped to the floor. But she was alive, and as long as she still lived, he could hope.  
  
"I have tired of our game, Logan. The time has come to end it." She nodded to the Reaver who dropped Star in a heap on the floor. She was barely conscious, her wrists tied behind her, twisting her broken arm into a grotesque shape. She slowly lifted her head and looked at Wolverine, then she turned and looked up at the Reaver.  
  
"Party....girl," she said with obvious effort.  
  
"You see, Logan? Pain is a much more effective teacher than gentle words. Those are the first words she has spoken since you put her in that hospital, aren't they?" Lady Deathstrike said softly, nearly in his ear. Wolverine pulled with all his might, praying that the brackets would part. Star continued to look at the Reaver.  
  
"Party...girl," she said again.  
  
"I think she's askin' for a rematch," he said, laughing. "Ya wanta show yer boyfriend what a good sport ya are, do ya?" He lifted her to her feet and bent to kiss her. She turned her head and his eyes narrowed as he glared down at her.  
  
"Hurts," she said, shifting her shoulders beneath his hands. "Please, hurts." The Reaver only hesitated a moment before reaching behind her and cutting the rope with the broad blade which extended suddenly from the end of his arm. She whimpered as her broken arm shifted, the bones grating audibly. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. He bent once more to kiss her. As their lips touched, Star suddenly jerked her knee upward, catching him squarely in the groin. He gasped and fell to his knees, pushing her convulsively away from him.  
  
Lady Deathstrike hit her, knocking her to the floor. Wolverine felt the bracket shift again, pulling out of the sleeve imprisoning his arm. He redoubled his effort as Deathstrike kicked the Reaver.  
  
"Get up, you fool," she snarled. With all the color drained from his face, the Reaver struggled to obey. "Kill her! Now!" He stumbled over to Star and grasped her by the throat. He extended the blade from his cybernetic arm once more and was about to plunge it into her chest when he glanced up at Wolverine. He grinned maliciously and lifted her from the floor. He turned and slammed her body into Wolverine, her back against his chest, her head on his shoulder.  
  
"No!" Wolverine screamed as he finally tore the bracket free. The Reaver's eyes widened, watching the suddenly freed adamantium claws flashing toward him. He felt his throat being torn out and he convulsively drove the blade into Star's chest. The weapon passed completely through her body and into Wolverine's. He caught her around the waist, holding her against him as the Reaver's blood covered them both.  
  
"Oh, God, no!" She looked up at him and, incredibly, smiled.  
  
"Logan," she whispered. She looked at the Reaver, his cybernetic limbs locked into position by his death. A flash of movement caught his eye and he turned in time to see Lady Deathstrike leaping toward them, her claws extended, her eyes wild with fury. Suddenly, the room disappeared, to be replaced instantly by the familiar surroundings of his own room in Xavier's mansion. Star sighed once and went limp against him, the blade still transfixing them both.  
  
"Noooo!" he cried. He gently lowered her to the floor, the blade pulling free of his body with a wet sound. He ignored the pain and the blood flowing from the wound. One hand and both feet were still encased in the adamantium manacles Deathstrike had used to shackle him to the wall, hindering his movement.  
  
The door to the room burst open and Gambit stood framed in the doorway for a moment. He was stunned by the sight which greeted him. Star lay on the floor while Wolverine knelt beside her, both were covered with blood.  
  
"Gambit," Wolverine's voice broke and he had to take a breath before he could continue. "Her heart's still beatin', but she ain't breathin'. Help me!" Gambit leaped forward, while Wolverine fought to free himself from the manacles. Gambit gently lifted Star, straightening her body as much as he dared. He held her head, clearing her airway, then bent to breath into her mouth. Her chest expanded, causing the light to glitter off the blade which passed completely through her body. He blinked once at the metal arm still attached to the blade, then bent to give her another breath. He could see her pulse beating, slowly but steadily, in her throat.  
  
Wolverine had succeeded in freeing his other hand when Cyclops and Beast entered the room. Beast immediately moved to help Gambit while Cyclops used his optic blast to shatter the remaining manacles binding Wolverine.  
  
Wolverine moved closer to Star. A puzzled frown crossed his face, to be replaced by a sudden understanding. He reached out and grasped the arm end of the blade.  
  
"Wolverine, what are you doing? You'll kill her!" Beast said, catching Wolverine's arm with one powerful, blue furred hand.  
  
"No, Hank. Look at her back. The scars are fadin'. You were wishin' she had a healin' factor like I got, an' it looks like ya got yer wish." He shook Beast's hand off. "We gotta get this thing outta her chest so she can heal." Beast nodded, and steadied Star while Wolverine tried to withdraw the blade. It didn't budge.  
  
"Its lodged in her ribs, hang on to her." Gambit continued to breath for Star as Beast shifted his body to place both immensely powerful arms around her. Jubilee appeared in the doorway, Rogue, Jean, and Storm close behind her.  
  
"Holy cow!" was all she said.  
  
"C'mon, sugah," Rogue said, taking the younger woman by the arm. "I think maybe we'd better get the med lab ready, what d'ya think?" Jubilee, wide eyed, followed her without comment.  
  
Once more, Wolverine pulled, but again the blade refused to be shifted. Jean closed her eyes and added her effort to his. Finally, the blade moved, pulling free from Star's body reluctantly, the metal ringing against the bones of her ribs and spine. At last, Wolverine held the blade in his hand. With a snarl, he hurled it behind him. The wounds in Star's chest and back closed quickly, but she still was not breathing on her own. They carefully moved her to the med lab, where Beast set up the respirator for her. She remained unconscious.  
  
Storm insisted on checking Wolverine's injury, but was satisfied that his healing factor was taking care of it.  
  
"What happened?" someone finally asked.  
  
"Lady Deathstrike was waitin' fer me. She'd been," he paused, "workin' on Star fer almost a month." He touched Star's hand, gently. She didn't respond. "I'm gonna kill that bitch," he said quietly. No one looking at his eyes would doubt the sincerity of his words.  
  
"What's takin' her so long, Hank?"  
  
"I don't know for certain, Wolverine, but the blade completely severed her spine, depriving her of any function below mid chest. Which is why she requires the respirator. A wound such as this, my friend, would probably require a certain amount of time even for you to heal. Her healing factor isn't nearly as, shall we say, tried and true as yours. Give her time. If she has not begun to recover in the next few hours, it may be necessary to intervene. For now," he shook his head, "just give her time." He handed Wolverine a wet towel with which he cleaned the worst of the gore from his face, chest, and arms. He didn't want to leave her until she woke.  
  
"Her other injuries, while extensive, seem to be healing as well. The person who did this was very thorough."  
  
"I couldn't get loose, Hank. I couldn't stop him. All I could do was listen while he hurt her." He looked up and Beast involuntarily moved back half a step. "I killed the bastard way too fast." He looked again at Star. "And not nearly fast enough."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Professor Xavier and Jean entered the med lab together. Jean turned to speak with Beast while the Professor moved to Wolverine's side next to Star's bed.  
  
"How is she?"  
  
"You tell me, Chuck. Hank says she's showin' signs o' gettin' better, but she still ain't breathin' on her own, an' she ain't so much as flickered an eyelash." Xavier nodded, then, glancing at Wolverine for permission, he placed his hand on Star's forehead. He didn't move for several very long minutes. Finally, he sighed and removed his hand.  
  
"Neurological tissue takes the longest time to heal, Logan, even in a mutant. She is more aware of her surroundings now, however, than when she left us for Maple Woods."  
  
"Ya mean she's gettin' better? When she wakes up, she might...." he couldn't bring himself to voice the hope.  
  
"She may be normal again. Or at least as normal as a mutant with her particular heritage can be." He looked at the man, his friend, who had endured so much heartache at the hands of a cruel world, and hoped that his words were true. "Logan," Wolverine turned to face him once more. "She may not. We don't know that much about your healing factor, and this is the first time hers has manifested. There may be limits as to how far the damaged tissue can recover. Please don't place too much hope in a miracle."  
  
"If we ain't got hope, Chuck, what the hell do we have?" He turned back to the pale and motionless girl. Xavier turned away.  
  
  
  
  
An hour or so later Star stirred. She opened her eyes and raised one hand to her throat. She struggled with the respirator tube. Wolverine caught her hands.  
  
"Star, darlin', relax. Don't fight it. The machine's been breathin' for ya. Just let it keep goin' until Hank can disconnect it." She looked at him, her eyes wide and frightened, but she stopped fighting the machine. Beast moved quickly to disconnect the respirator. Star drew a shuddering breath through the tube in her throat, then relaxed a little.  
  
"Star, I need to remove this tube. Its going to feel strange when I pull it out, but I need you to remain perfectly still until its completely clear, all right?" She nodded slightly, holding tightly to Wolverine's hand. Beast grasped the end of the tube and quickly pulled it from her throat. She coughed, then flinched.  
  
"Your throat may be sore for a while. Would you like something to drink?" She nodded again and Beast went to get her a glass of water. Wolverine watched her face intently. She looked at him and smiled.  
  
"I'm ... all right," she said hoarsely. "Have I been ... ill?"  
  
"You could say that," his voice broke. She reached for him and he pulled her into his arms. He held her tightly until Beast returned with her water. Beast held the glass while Star used the straw he had provided. She sighed and lay back on the bed, even the small effort required to drink had exhausted her.  
  
"You know something?" she said quietly. "I'm really tired of waking up in this room." Her eyes closed and she slept once more. Wolverine and Beast exchanged an amused glance.  
  
"I think she will be just fine, Wolverine."  
  
"Yeah, I think so, too," he paused. "Any reason she can't wake up in her own bed?"  
  
"None that I can think of." Wolverine stood and carefully lifted Star from the bed. She murmured, but didn't wake. He took her to her room and gently placed her in the bed, covering her small body tenderly. He turned at a light tapping on the open door. Rogue stood in the doorway, smiling at him.  
  
"Beast said y'all were movin' her back ta her room, so I figured she was doin' lots better. Which means you might be willin' ta leave her long enough ta catch a shower," she grinned when he glanced down at himself, aware of the blood still smeared on a large portion of his body. "Here," she tossed him a bundle she'd carried in with her. "Some clean duds. Go on, sugah. Use her shower. I'll sit with her while ya wash."  
  
"Thanks, darlin'" he turned to the small bathroom, closing the door behind him so the noise of the water wouldn't wake Star.  
  
  



	7. Default Chapter Title

  
The shower had barely started when Star stirred again. Rogue moved to the side of the bed and Star looked up at her.  
  
"Rogue?"  
  
"'S just me, sugah. How ya doin'?"  
  
"I'm ... sticky." Rogue laughed.  
  
"Yeah, ya sure are. Um," she glanced toward the bathroom door. "Ya know, Wolverine's in there gettin' cleaned up, but I reckon he'll be done right quick." Star sat up and swung her feet off the bed.  
  
"Do you think he'd mind, if I joined him?" she asked, seriously.  
  
"Sugah, I purely do doubt that he'd mind, even a little." Star smiled and stood up, glancing down at herself for the first time.  
  
"Yuck. Where did all this come from?"  
  
"Ya don't remember?"  
  
"Not...really."  
  
"Well, maybe Wolverine can fill ya in later." Rogue shooed Star toward the bathroom. "Y'all'd better hurry up, or yer gonna be showerin' alone." Star opened the bathroom door, turning to see Rogue grin at her as she left the room. Star closed the door behind her. Wolverine stuck his head out of the shower.  
  
"Rogue, is Star ... Star!" She stepped quickly into the shower, and into his arms. The water cascaded over them both. His body was slick with soap as he bent his head to kiss her. She returned his kiss with passion and he dropped the soap. Laughing, she retrieved it and began to lather his chest. He turned her so that the water ran over her, sluicing the dried blood from her hair and body. He took the soap from her and began to wash her, his powerful hands gentle and loving.  
  
  
  
  
He stepped out of the shower and reached for the towels on the shelf. He unfolded one and wrapped it around her, gently drying her shoulders and back. She took the second towel and, reaching around him, began to dry his back. He pulled her close once more and held her against him for a long moment before releasing her. She kissed the hollow of his throat before moving away.  
  
  
  
"Star," he said as they dressed. "Ya told me ta ask ya again in a week, and its been a mite longer 'n that, but I wanna ask ya now, if ya'd marry me."  
  
"Logan," she looked up at him, her blue eyes serious, "I love you, and I would be proud to be your wife."  
  
"I'll be damned," was all he said as he took her in his arms once more.  
  
  
  
  
They were married three days later. They returned to the mansion, Wolverine having decided that since there had been no word of Lady Deathstrike, it was too hazardous to go elsewhere for their honeymoon. He was unwilling to risk her safety again. Together, they moved into a large room.  
  
Star still remembered very little about the time she had been incapacitated. Her last clear memory was of her 'fight' with Wolverine, a fact which disturbed him, but seemed to actually amuse her.  
  
"Logan," she told him, "you came back to me, what difference does anything else make?"  
  
"Star..."  
  
"Please, my love," she smiled at him impishly. "I have forgotten it, why can't you." He finally got it through his head that she really didn't care.  
  
  
  
  
Jean worked with Star to recover as many of her memories as possible, but there were very few actual memories available. Star had existed in a fog, moving from one physical sensation to another with little or no thought involved, or indeed even possible considering the brain damage she had suffered. As they drew nearer to the present, to the end of the time Star had spent at Maple Woods, her memories consisted almost entirely of sadness, and a sense of abandonment. After one such session, Rogue found her sitting alone on the back deck, weeping bitterly.  
  
"What's the matter, sugah?" Rogue asked, hurrying to take the younger woman in her arms.  
  
"These memories ... that Jean's ... unlocking, they're nothing but feelings. There's nothing to tie 'em down, nothing to explain them. And they won't go away!" she sobbed brokenly.  
  
"Well, you don't hafta remember, ya know. Just tell Jean ya don't want ta do any more o' these memory searches, and she'll quit, I promise."  
  
"I can't, Rogue."  
  
"Well, why on earth not, sugah?"  
  
"I have to be certain Lady Deathstrike didn't leave a time bomb ticking in my head. Yes, I know she planned to kill me, but there was always the chance that we'd escape, that Logan would rescue me."  
  
"All right, sugah, ya got a point. But Jean can block you again once she's checked yer memories."  
  
"Wouldn't that leave a ... a hole?"  
  
"Yeah, it would. But sometimes a hole's better'n tryin' ta cope with all the pieces at once. It took ya months ta get all the pieces, it might take ya months ta handle 'em all."  
  
"And we don't have months to look for a bomb."  
  
"Nope. Ya want me ta talk ta Jean fer ya?"  
  
"No, thank you. I think I'd better do that myself." Star sat up and looked around. "I missed the whole spring, didn't I?"  
  
"Yeah, sugah, I guess ya did. But there's a whole new spring scheduled fer next year, and you'll get ta see what ya missed then."  
  
"I hope so." Star was silent.  
  
"You feelin' better now?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well, don't forget ta talk ta Jean. She'll take care of ya."  
  
"All right."  
  
  
  
  
Jean carefully blocked Star's conscious remembrance of her final days at Maple Woods. Lady Deathstrike had begun to inflict physical, as well as mental, anguish on her helpless victim. Star had withdrawn into a sea of unrelenting despair. When she finally found what she was looking for, Jean nearly missed it, as Star had barely been aware at all at the time.  
  
  
  
  
Lady Deathstrike, masquerading as Keiko, entered Star's room with a lunch tray. She put it on the small table near the door and stalked over to where Star sat apathetically staring out the window. She slapped Star and the girl reluctantly focused on her tormentor.  
  
"I spoke with your precious Logan, Star. He is quite pleased that you will not burden him for much longer. Caring for you has grown tiresome for us all." Star shrank ever further into herself as Deathstrike told her how much Wolverine hated her, how he wished her dead, and how he had sent Keiko to finish her if she hadn't the decency to die quietly and quickly on her own. "This will prevent anyone from stopping you," she said, grasping Star's arm with cruel fingers. Star barely flinched as the flesh of her arm was punctured. Jean didn't know exactly what was done, because Star never even glanced down as Deathstrike continued her liturgy of hate, her voice fading from Star's conscious mind, buried too deeply for Jean to recover her words.  
  
  
  
  
"Henry, do a close scan of her right arm. Deathstrike put something in her, but I don't know what," Jean said suddenly. "Star, wake up dear, I think we have found what we were looking for."  
  
"What is it?" Star asked, waking completely as Beast examined her arm with the portable scanner.  
  
"There is some sort of capsule in your arm, Star. It seems to be partially enveloped in the bone, though I don't understand how..."  
  
  
  
  
Star shuddered as painful memories came flooding back. She had been peripherally aware of Wolverine's presence, but this had only caused her to withdraw even further. There was no memory of their flight through the building, and only a vague sense of the surrounding woods as he'd attempted to carry her to safety. His quiet words and his gentle hands had begun to break through to her when he'd suddenly left her alone in the darkness. She'd stayed exactly where he'd left her until the Reaver found her. He'd caught her by the arm and yanked her to her feet, dragging her through the underbrush after him, heedless of the injuries inflicted on her bare legs by the thorny growths. He shoved her into the back of a van and slammed the doors. She was bumped and jostled about as the van began to move.  
  
At last, the van stopped. The doors opened, but Star didn't look up. A Reaver stepped into the back of the van and dragged her out. She stumbled and he hit her, knocking her to the ground. She lay where she had fallen, making no move to rise. He kicked her.  
  
"Get up, you stupid bitch," he snarled. When she didn't respond, he kicked her again.  
  
"Take her inside, you fool. Lock her up and come back to help with him. You'll have time for her later." The Reaver nodded and lifted Star from the ground. He carried her inside and down a flight of stairs. He dumped her roughly in a bare room and left, closing a heavy metal door behind him, leaving her alone in the darkness.  
  
Later, the door opened and Lady Deathstrike and the Reaver entered.  
  
"Hello, Star," Deathstrike said, her voice smooth and caressing. Star lifted her head in response to the familiar voice. Deathstrike hit her, a vicious backhanded blow that knocked her to the floor.  
  
"Every time you touch her, I want it to leave a mark," she told the Reaver. "I want her to look her best when he awakens."  
  
"Yes, ma'am. It'll be a pleasure." Deathstrike closed the door behind her, leaving Star and the Reaver in the dark.  
  
"You can't see me, can you girl?" he asked. "But I can see you." He slapped her, almost playfully. He pulled her to her feet then released her. She stood motionless as he walked around her. He struck her suddenly and she doubled over in pain. He caught her by the hair and yanked her upright, slapping her. "Isn't this fun?" he snarled in her ear as she gasped for breath. He continued to beat her until she was unable to stand. He lifted her from the floor and hurled her across the room. Her head struck the wall with a sickening crack, and she fell, unconscious and beyond his reach, to the floor.  
  
  
  
  
"Star, are you all right?" Beast was asking, his voice concerned.  
  
"Yes, I'm all right. I was just ... remembering." She cleared her throat. "The Reaver broke my arm. When my healing factor ... kicked in, it healed. I guess the capsule was in the way."  
  
"An interesting hypothesis. The material is impervious to my scanner. I can not tell what may be contained within."  
  
"Take it out."  
  
"Star, it is encased in the bone. I would have to break your arm to remove it."  
  
"Do it. As long as that thing is in there, I could be a danger to you all." Beast and Jean exchanged a glance, then Beast nodded. He reached for the surgical instruments while Jean got the neural inhibitor.  
  
"What is that?" Star asked.  
  
"Its a neural inhibitor," Beast told her. "Since you are immune to our anesthetics, I asked a friend to come up with an alternative. It works quite well."  
  
"You've used it on me?"  
  
"Yes, dear," he glanced at Jean. "You don't remember?"  
  
"No."  
  
"It was while you were ill, Star," Jean told her. "Your memories of that time are very confused."  
  
"How does it work?"  
  
"I can tell you what it does, but for how, you will have to speak to Forge."  
  
"All right. What does it do?"  
  
"It slows your brain activity to the point of unconsciousness, preventing any pain impulses from reaching you." Star swallowed.  
  
"You won't remove the capsule without it?"  
  
"Absolutely not." She looked at the device in Jean's hands. It was no larger than a child's headband.  
  
"All right."  
  
"Just lie back and relax," Jean told her, as they fitted her with sensor pads before putting the metal band across her forehead. "It'll be just like going to sleep. Ready?" At Star's slight nod, Beast switched the unit on. Star sighed and her eyes rolled back in her head. Her hands, clenched together in her lap, relaxed and dropped to her sides. Beast examined the sensor readings then turned to Star. He cleaned the surface of her arm and then, pinpointing the location of the capsule buried in the bone of her arm, he made an incision. Jean kept the area clear for him as he probed the wound.  
  
"Ah, I have it. Jean, the bone saw, please." She handed him the instrument and he began to cut the bone away from the offending object.  
  
"Henry."  
  
"Yes, Jean?"  
  
"Her temperature has begun to rise."  
  
"How high?"  
  
"Its up to one hundred and one already."  
  
"Its always one surprise after another with this girl. The wound isn't trying to close, either."  
  
"One hundred and two." Beast didn't say anything as he worked silently to free the capsule from the surrounding bone.  
  
"One hundred three."  
  
"There! That's got it!" He withdrew the capsule from Star's arm. As the gray cylinder came free of her flesh, the surface began to hiss and bubble.  
  
"Oh, my stars and..." Beast began, turning away from Jean and Star. The capsule exploded. The force hurled Beast backwards into the table on which Star rested, while the concussion knocked Jean from her feet. Beast slumped to the floor, his chest a bloody ruin.  
  
Star sat up and blinked in confusion, the inhibitor jarred loose when Beast hit the table. She glanced around, unable to see either Jean or Beast. Jean made a small noise behind her, and she turned toward the sound.  
  
"Jean?" She swung her feet off the table as she turned and her foot brushed Beast's body. She looked down.  
  
"Henry!" Star nearly fell from the table when her right arm refused to support her. She glanced at it, but the wound was beginning to close. She knelt beside Beast as Jean moved up next to her. Together, the two women tried to stop the bleeding, but the damage was too severe. Jean reached into Beast's mind to block the pain. Star put one hand over one of the wounds in his chest, trying to block the gaping hole, willing him to be all right as tears streamed down her cheeks.  
  
"Ahh," he moaned and Jean looked up sharply. Star snatched her hand away, afraid that she had caused him further pain. The wound under her hand had closed.  
  
"No, Star! Don't stop!"  
  
"What...?"  
  
"Whatever you were doing was helping him. Don't stop!" Star quickly put both hands on Beast's chest, the right one still not responding completely, and closed her eyes. Jean extended her senses until she could actually feel the tissue knit together.  
  
The door of the lab opened and Jean quickly gestured for the other X-Men to remain outside. She couldn't allow Star to be distracted.  
  
Beast sighed and opened his eyes. He looked up at Star, kneeling beside him. His eyes followed her arms down to his chest. He watched, without comprehension, as her blood flowed down her right arm to mingle with the blood on his chest. Waves of warmth spread outward through his body from her hands. He languidly turned his head and looked at Jean.  
  
"Don't fight her, Henry. You've been badly hurt. Relax and let Star take care of you," she said to him, still linked with his mind to block the pain.  
  
"Wouldn't if I could. Its an ... incredible sensation."  
  
A few moments later Star removed her hands from his chest and slowly opened her eyes. They blazed silver for an instant, then faded to blue as she looked down at him.  
  
"Henry?"  
  
"I ... believe I am ... a great deal more intact than I was a few minutes ago." Jean helped him sit up and the other X-Men entered the lab. Rogue and Gambit helped Beast into the chair Jubilee pulled up. Wolverine gently pulled a dazed Star to her feet.  
  
"What happened?" Cyclops asked.  
  
"There was an explosive buried in Star's arm, Scott," Jean answered. "It was activated when Henry removed it. He took the brunt of the explosion."  
  
"Fortunately for me," Beast interrupted, "Star has exhibited yet another aspect of her remarkable abilities."  
  
"She was able to extend her healing to Henry," Jean finished. "She undoubtedly saved his life."  
  
Star sagged against Wolverine and he eased her quickly into a chair. Her arm was bleeding again. Beast tried to get up to help her, but Storm pushed him back into the chair.  
  
"I will care for Star, Henry. You stay here." Storm turned to Star and examined the wound in her arm.  
  
"You seem to have overtaxed yourself, child. I will bandage this until you are rested enough to heal yourself." Star nodded and Storm gently wrapped the bandaging around her arm. "That should take care of you, dear. Wolverine," she said, "put her to bed. She needs to rest." Storm and Wolverine removed the sensor pads that were still in place on Star's body, and Wolverine helped her from the lab. When they reached the stairs, he lifted her into his arms.  
  
"I can walk, Logan," she protested.  
"Sure ya can, darlin'," he answered. "But what's the point?" She put her uninjured arm around his neck and leaned her head on his shoulder as he carried her up the stairs. He put her carefully into their bed and drew the light blanket up over her. She struggled to remain awake.  
  
"Go ta sleep, darlin'. Ya'll feel better when ya wake up." She sighed and looked up at him.  
  
"I love you, Logan." Her eyes closed. He smoothed her hair and kissed her gently.  
  
"I love you, Star," he whispered, for she was already asleep. He watched her for a while, then quietly left their room, closing the door behind him.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
When Wolverine returned later that evening, Star was still sleeping. He got into bed quietly, trying not to disturb her. She murmured in her sleep and turned toward him without waking. He put his arms around her and drew her close. She sighed, but did not wake.  
  
  
  
  
In the wee hours of the morning Star cried out and Wolverine woke with a start. Star was trembling violently.  
  
"What's wrong, darlin'?" he asked her gently, reaching for her. She cringed when he touched her.  
  
"Star?"  
  
"L..Logan?"  
  
"I'm here, babe." She turned toward him in the bed and moved closer until his arms encircled her, though she was unable to suppress the shudder that ran through her body when his hands met her flesh. He didn't say anything. He just held her and waited. Slowly, her trembling eased.  
  
"Logan?" she finally said, softly.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Why did he, I mean, the Reaver, why did he ... enjoy ... hurting me? I understand why he did it, but ... how can anyone ... enjoy hurting someone?" Wolverine tightened his arms around her, wishing he could protect her from the memory of what had been done to her.  
  
"I don't know, darlin'. Some people just ... ain't right. They get their kicks from hurtin' other folks." He stroked her cheek with one hand. "But he's dead, darlin'. He can't hurt you, or anybody else, ever again." Star sighed and snuggled closer. Soon, cradled in the protection of his arms, she slept again. He lay awake until after the sun rose and she stirred once more.  
  
  
  
  
Beast was still weak from the blood he had lost, so Star had the lab to herself the next day. She called up the records of yesterday's events and examined them minutely, trying to understand how she had healed him. She found a reference in her files to a mutant whose only ability was to heal the sick or injured. He was listed as one of her parents, so she supposed that was where she had gotten the ability, though she still didn't know how it worked. Hopefully, she wouldn't have any cause to use it again, anytime soon. She copied her files to a disc so she wouldn't have to trouble Beast when she wanted to study it.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Though for the most part she didn't remember them, she had nightmares nearly every night. She often woke to find Wolverine's arms around her, his eyes concerned. She refused to talk to anyone about her dreams. Or what had been done to her while she and Wolverine had been captive. Shame was a new emotion for her, and she didn't understand how to cope with the feelings that came with her memories. She understood that she was not to blame for the actions of others, but she felt soiled.  
  
  
  
  
Things in the X-Mansion were soon back to normal. Beast returned to his lab, and Star returned to her training. She had lost a lot of ground during her illness. Her muscles lacked tone and strength, and she had little endurance in the Danger Room. Wolverine helped her, carefully regulating her toning and strengthening exercises, and strictly limiting her Danger Room training to what he felt she was ready for.  
  
  
  
  
Several weeks had passed before Wolverine was ready to allow her unlimited access to the Danger Room, but finally he agreed that she was ready.  
  
"All right, darlin'. Keep yer eyes open, this ain't no hologram." She nodded and he opened the door, admitting her to the Danger Room. Alone.  
  
  
  
  
She stood next to the door, waiting for the program to begin. He hadn't told her anything of what she was to face. Her precognition hadn't manifested since her illness, and she supposed it had gone the way of her telepathic and telekinetic powers.   
  
"Its nice to have a back up," she thought to herself. "Though I don't know how much a healing factor is going to help me with whatever is going to happen here." She laughed nervously, "hopefully, I won't need it." There was a sudden noise behind her and she turned quickly toward it. A small cat looked at her from the top of a garbage can in the alley in which she had found herself upon entering the Danger Room. The cat slipped down from the can and disappeared down the alley. Star straightened and consciously slowed her heart and breathing, though they remained far above normal. If she was too wound up when the danger did appear, she would be unable to react properly. And that could get her killed.  
  
She moved out of the alley, into the street. There was nothing visible, other than the usual clutter of a late night street. The street light to her right was out and she turned away from the darkness instinctively, moving quietly and cautiously in the other direction.  
  
  
  
  
"She still fears the dark." Jean said to Wolverine as they watched Star from the control room.  
  
"Looks that way," he answered, never taking his eyes off the tiny woman winding her way through the darkened streets of the Danger Room below them.  
  
"Are you certain she is ready for this?"  
  
"As ready as she's gonna get." He turned to Jean for a moment. "She's gotta face it some time. This ain't somethin' anybody else can help her with, 'specially if she won't talk about it." Jean didn't answer and Wolverine turned back to watch Star.  
  
  
She was beginning to relax in spite of herself when she caught a hint of movement from down one of the side streets. She turned that way, but whatever she had seen was gone.  
  
She turned down the side street, determined to find whatever she had seen. A few yards from the corner, there was an alley. She looked down it warily, but didn't see anything. She had just turned from the alley when there was a great crash from behind her. She whirled, but it was just the cat again. She was about to move on when she heard a voice from very close behind her.  
  
"Yer still not a bad looking sheila." Star froze, then, with her heart in her throat, she turned slowly toward the voice. She had unconsciously ducked when she'd heard his voice and when she turned, the first thing she saw was his feet. She forced her gaze up, along his body. He was a tall man, and she had to tilt her head far back to see his face. He was grinning down at her.  
  
"You still a party girl?" he asked, stepping forward. Star couldn't move. She stared up at him, her face expressionless, but her eyes wide with terror.  
  
  
  



	8. Default Chapter Title

  
"Move, girl. Do somethin'. Don't just stand there." Wolverine muttered as he watched the scenario unfold below him. Jean watched, ready to stop the exercise. Wolverine's hands were balled into fists as he willed Star to move.  
  
  
  
  
She stared up at the Reaver, her mind whirling. "You're not real," she thought. "I saw you die!" Then his reaching hand touched her cheek and she screamed. He reached for her and she turned and ran.  
  
  
  
  
"Logan,"  
  
"Not yet, Jeannie. She's gotta face this. She can take him." Wolverine answered Jean unasked question.  
  
"I hope you're right."  
  
  
  
  
Star stumbled and fell. She immediately rolled to her feet, expecting to see the Reaver bearing down on her, but he was nowhere in sight. She took a sobbing breath.  
  
"Logan!" she cried.  
  
  
  
  
Jean could hear Wolverine grinding his teeth, but he did not answer.  
  
  
  
  
"Logan, please!" Star sobbed.  
  
Wolverine's shoulders drooped.  
  
"All right, Jeannie..." he began when the Reaver appeared before Star. He stepped forward and slapped her, a backhanded blow. Jean reached for the control that would stop the Danger Room sequence.  
  
  
  
  
Star lay on the sidewalk, stunned from the blow the Reaver had delivered. Her nose was bleeding and she touched it gingerly with one hand, looking at the blood on her fingers with amazement. Suddenly she was no longer frightened. She was angry. She scrambled away from the Reaver, glaring up at the Cyborg with undisguised fury.  
  
"Well, now, found some spirit, did ya?" the Reaver asked, advancing toward her. "I like that in a woman. You know what else I like in a woman, don't ya," he said, hooking his thumbs suggestively in his belt.  
  
  
  
  
"Jeannie.."  
  
"I see, Logan." They would let the sequence run its course.  
  
  
  
  
Without taking her eyes from the Reaver, Star sought a weapon. She'd entered the Danger Room empty handed, expected to find something during her training. Her questing hand closed on a garbage can lid, then upon what appeared to be an old mop or broom handle. She snatched them up, snarling at the Reaver as he reached for her once more.  
  
She blocked his groping hand with the lid, slamming the handle into his knee. He staggered and she danced back out of his reach.  
  
"C'mon, you bastard. Let's see how well you do with a target that's not helpless."  
  
"That wasn't very nice of you, sheila. Now I'm gonna hafta punish you."  
  
"You're welcome to try," her voice was cold.  
  
The Reaver moved toward her and she backed away cautiously. She knew there was no chance to beat him by using her strength. He could crush the life out of her with one hand. If he ever got the hand on her. He lunged and she ducked under his reach, striking him twice with the handle, once in the belly, the second another blow to the knee.  
  
"C'mere, bitch. I'm gonna make you pay for that." Star didn't answer. She was faster than he was, and she knew it. He threw a punch and she slammed the handle into his elbow. The metal joint didn't break, but the arm wasn't as responsive as it had been. The Reaver stopped smiling. He reached for her again and she hit him in the face with the lid. He staggered backwards and she continued her assault. He fell heavily and she pounced, pummeling him with the handle. When he had completely stopped moving, she backed away from him. She was surprised by the amount of blood on the ground. She looked down and realized that she was covered as well. She dropped the handle and the lid and stood looking at the body of the Reaver, fighting down a surge of nausea. She fell to her knees beside the body and began to sob. A door opened behind her and she whirled, expecting a new threat. It was Wolverine. She snarled at him, climbing to her feet.  
  
"Star," he reached for her, but she slapped his hand away. "Darlin', listen to me," he stepped forward, his arms out and she punched him with all her might. He doubled over, as much in surprise as in pain.  
  
"How could you?" she hissed. "You know what he did to me. And you know why he did it." She was crying again. "How could you?" Before Wolverine could catch his breath, she turned and ran from the Danger Room. He straightened and stumbled after her.  
  
"Star," he gasped. "Wait!" She didn't even slow down, sprinting for the stairs at the end of the hall. She disappeared up them, panther quick, not even taking the time to slam the door behind her as many women would have done. By the time he reached the stairs, she was long gone. He hurried up the stairs after her, and ran into Jubilee.  
  
"Wolvie? What the matter with Star?"  
  
"I made a mistake, darlin'" he answered. "Made her face somethin' she wasn't ready for. You see where she went?"  
  
"Yeah. She was headin' for the lake."  
  
"Thanks, darlin'."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The sky was gray, the clouds heavy with unshed rain as Star ran from the mansion. Her throat was tight and tears blurred her vision. As if responding to her torment, the rain began to fall, gently at first, then more heavily. Her clothing was quickly soaked, but she could not return to the mansion. She slowed her headlong flight until she was walking, but she did not pause.  
  
  
  
  
Wolverine moved quietly but purposefully into the woods surrounding the mansion. The rain had washed Star's scent from the air. The girl was so light footed that she scarcely left any tracks, and those were quickly washed away in the rain. He'd just have to find her the hard way.  
  
  
  
  
Star walked, heedless of her surroundings, tormented by the memories of what Lady Deathstrike and the Reaver had done to her. She finally stopped when a muscle cramp in her abdomen nearly doubled her over. She sat down, with her back to the bole of a large tree and stared out over the lake, ignoring the rain that continued to fall.  
  
  
  
  
Wolverine continued to search for Star. He'd found no sign of her and had begun to worry that she had left the grounds altogether. He was about to expand his search beyond the boundaries of the Xavier Estate when he caught the faintest suggestion of her scent. He turned, trying to pinpoint its origin, but it faded as quickly as it had come.  
  
"Star!" he called, praying she would answer. "Star, where are ya, darlin'?" The forest was silent except for the sound of the rain. Then he heard her.  
  
"Here, Logan." Her voice was flat when she answered him. He turned toward the sound and saw her, seated at the base of a large tree just a few yards away. Her knees were drawn up to her chest and her crossed arms rested atop them. She was the picture of abject misery. He approached carefully and crouched beside her.  
  
"Darlin' I'm sorry. I thought you were ready." She looked up at him and her eyes were as flat as her voice.  
  
"You were wrong."  
  
"I know." He seated himself next to her on the wet ground and put one hand on her arm, but she turned away from him. Sorrowfully, he withdrew his hand. After a long moment, she looked at him.  
  
"You said you would take care of me," her voice was full of bitterness.  
  
"That's what I'm tryin' ta do, girl."  
  
"By making me face that ... that ... man?" her voice cracked.  
  
"No, darlin'. By helpin' ya face yer fear. By showin' ya that you can beat it."  
  
"Yeah, I 'beat it', didn't I? I beat it to a bloody pulp." Fresh tears ran down her cheeks.  
  
"Ya did that."  
  
"Will I have to ... face him ... again?" she asked.  
  
"Not unless ya want to."  
  
"I don't think so. I didn't like the way I felt when I ... killed him."  
  
"Good." He put his arm around her and this time she moved into his embrace. "Sometimes killin' is necessary. But you should never enjoy it."  
  
  
  
  
They sat together in the rain, watching the lake, until a deeper darkness signaled the end of the day. They rose and returned to the big house. Neither of them spoke, but the silence was no longer brittle. He hoped she had seen the necessity of what he had done. That night she slept in his arms, as she had done every night since she had been returned to him, but her sleep was still troubled.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
He was awakened by the touch of the damp night air on his bare skin. He was alone in the big bed. He got up and padded across the floor to the balcony door, which was slightly ajar. He pulled the door silently open and looked out. Star was standing on the balcony, the rain streaming across her body. A flash of lightning outlined her form. She leaned on the railing and stared out into the darkness. She didn't seem to be aware of him, but when he touched her, gently caressing her arm, she turned and smiled up at him, without being startled.  
  
"Didn't you get wet enough earlier?" he asked, drawing her into his arms, her skin slick beneath his hands, warm against his body.  
  
"It'll be easier to dry off this time." She put her arms around his waist, grinning impishly up at him. He laughed and pulled her closer. She returned his embrace, then turned in his arms to look out over the landscape. It was brilliantly lighted by jagged bolts of lightening which threatened to split the sky with their tremendous power. She sighed.  
  
"Its so ... wild, Logan."  
  
"I know what ya mean, darlin'." She leaned into him, her hands over his, they stood together on the balcony, enjoying the sensation of rain and wind on their bodies.  
  
  
  
  
Star was very quiet for the next several weeks, refusing to enter the Danger Room at all unless she knew the challenge in advance. Wolverine watched her with concern. She spent most of her time either in Beast's lab or wandering through the wooded grounds surrounding the Xavier estate. Wolverine left her alone.  
  
  
  
  
One morning as Wolverine was working out, the intruder alarm sounded. He quickly lowered the weight set into its cradle, and hurried to the ready room. Cyclops was already there, and had put the alarm screen up on the wall where it could be easily seen. The intruder was quite a distance from the mansion. The tiny dot was visible for only a moment, then it disappeared, and the alarms quieted.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"I don't know, Wolverine. Whatever it was is gone now." Cyclops typed in several commands on the keyboard in front of him, then shook his head. "It wasn't there long enough for our sensors to get a solid reading. It appears to have been a teleport, but I don't know who."  
  
"Right. I'll hike out there an' see what I can find. If its somebody we know, I'll be able ta tag 'em by their scent."  
  
"I'll send Rogue to back you up." Wolverine was already moving out the door.  
  
He went quickly to the area indicated on the map and began to cast about for any lingering scent traces of their intruder. He caught a familiar scent just as Rogue arrived.  
  
"Ya got anything, sugah?"  
  
"Yeah, darlin'. Our ol' pal Sinister's been here."  
  
"Sinister? Now what the heck would he want all the way out here?"  
  
"Don't know, darlin'. But we'd best get back to the mansion before he improves his aim."  
  
"You want a lift?"  
  
"Sure." Rogue reached for Wolverine, but he suddenly held up his hand.  
  
"Hang on, Rogue." He turned slowly, obviously trying to isolate a scent. "Did Cyke send Star with you?"  
  
"I don't think so, sugah. I ain't seen the little gal all day." Rogue tapped the communicator and spoke into it.  
  
"Cyclops, is Star up there with y'all?" There was a moment of silence, then Cyclops voice replied.  
  
"No, Rogue. She did not respond to the alarm."  
  
"Maybe she's takin' a nap, or somethin'," Rogue said to Wolverine.  
  
"Sinister took her."  
  
"Ya can't know that for sure, sugah."  
  
"Can't I?" Wolverine held up the book Star had taken from the Library that morning.  
  
  
  
  
Star took the book off the shelf and gazed at the cover for a moment. She had read it over a dozen times already, but it was one of her favorites. "The Complete Works of Tolkien, Volume One", she read silently, then smiled. She met Wolverine in the hall.  
  
"Care ta join me, darlin'?" he asked as they walked together down the hall toward the weight room.  
  
"Perhaps later," she answered, indicating the book. She stood on tiptoe and kissed him gently. He slapped her rump as she turned into the main living room, where Jubilee was watching yet another talk show. He went on to the weight room.  
  
Star watched the talk show with Jubilee for a few minutes, then picked up her book and left the mansion, crossing the back deck with unhurried steps. She'd found that she preferred to read this particular book in solitude. She walked through the woods until she reached a small natural clearing where she sat down with her back to a tree and began to read. She'd been there for some time when she heard an odd sound from behind the tree. She turned toward the noise and something struck her in the jaw. Dazed from the blow, she looked up and saw a large man dressed in blue, wearing a red lined cape. He reached for her, lifting her effortlessly from the ground, his hand twisted in the front of her blouse. She felt the book fall from her fingers as he touched her cheek with his free hand.  
  
"Your son has a most interesting genetic structure, but there are some difficulties. Perhaps the original template will help me correct the problem."  
  
"What...?" she said.  
  
"I will explain later, my dear." He smiled at her, chilling her. Then he hit her again and the world went dark.  
  
  
  
"We will find her, Wolverine." Professor Xavier told him as he removed the helmet which allowed him full access to Cerebro.  
  
"But you ain't found her yet." Wolverine's hand rested on the cover of the book he had found in the woods, and which he had carefully cleaned of the dirt which had smeared the pages.  
  
"No. But her signature has always been difficult to isolate." He sighed. "It may take time, but we will find her." Wolverine made no reply, stalking from the ready room with barely suppressed fury which was only made more intense by his sense of helplessness. Star had been taken from him yet again. Would they never be granted peace?  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Star awakened in a small room. She lay on a high, padded table. When she sat up, a sharp pain stabbed through her head. Gingerly, she reached up and touched her cheek. She could feel the bruise even as it began to fade. The pain dimmed, and then was gone. She swung her feet off the side of the table as the door opened and the man in blue stood framed within it. He smiled at her, and she shivered.  
  
"I am pleased to see that your healing factor is still effective. It was with great regret that I learned you had destroyed your other abilities. You had great potential ... number thirty six!" She glared at him, and he laughed.  
  
"Do you know who I am?" Star didn't answer, refusing to be baited by her captor. "I have been called Mr. Sinister. My specialty is genetics, which is what made the good doctor's project, and you, of such interest to me." He stepped into the room, and her eyes flicked over the open door behind him. "Don't try it, my dear. Without your powers, you wouldn't get past my people. And I do prefer to have you in an undamaged condition." She continued to watch him, waiting for an opening to present itself. "You see, I find myself in need of your cooperation." He stepped up to the table, and took her chin in his hand. She jerked her head away from his hand, leaped to her feet and dashed past him, despite his warning, toward the door. He caught her effortlessly, twisting her arm behind her and throwing her to the floor. He knelt then, pinning her with his knee. 'Sometimes,' she thought, 'having so little mass to throw around is a real disadvantage.'  
  
"I would prefer," he said quietly, as she struggled in his grasp, "to have your cooperation. I am, however, willing to coerce you as needed." He stood and yanked her to her feet, her arm still twisted behind her. "You will do as I wish. There are more lives at stake than you know, and I can afford to wait longer than you can." He thrust her from him and she stumbled into the table. He stepped from the room and closed the door in her face.  
  
  
  
  
After carefully examining every square inch of the room, and finding nothing of any use, Star sat on the floor, her back to the wall nearest the door, and waited. She was angry, frightened, and, despite herself, curious. "More lives at stake than you know," he'd said. Had he captured the other X-Men? What did he mean? And did the others even realize that she had been taken? She needed answers before she could decide what to do. She snorted. Brute force was out of the question. She drew up her knees and folded her arms across them. After a while, she dozed.  
  
  
  
  
Wolverine grew more difficult to deal with as the days passed with no word of Star. Once more he tried using his own contacts to locate her, to no avail. Sinister had gone to ground completely, apparently without leaving a single clue as to his, or Star's, whereabouts. Wolverine's frustration grew greater with each new failure.  
  
Star didn't know how long it had been since the man calling himself Sinister had locked her in this room, but it had been a long time. Several days at least. When at last he opened the door, she found herself to weak to even stand, much less attempt to escape. He stepped into the room and stood before her, his hands on his hips.  
  
"Are you ready to cooperate?" She glared up at him, her throat too dry to risk a response. He grasped the front of her blouse and lifted her until her feet dangled well above the floor. She gasped at the sudden motion, dizzy as the blood rushed from her head. "Your healing factor will not save you from starvation, though it will extend the process, as your body consumes itself." He looked down at her and smiled his chilling smile once more. "Long before you die, however, you will lose the child you carry within you." At her startled glance, he laughed, throwing his head back and lowering her until her feet touched the floor. He released her suddenly and she slumped against the wall, one hand instinctively pressed to her belly.  
  
"The stakes just went up, did they not? You killed your first child through an ignorance of your own abilities." He smiled again, nastily. "Would you repeat your mistake? Murder yet another innocent? Think about it," he said as he stepped back through the door. "But don't take too long. An early fetus is notoriously fragile." He closed the door and she heard the lock click into place. She sank back to the floor and fought back the tears she could not afford to shed. Wolverine had told her of their son, who had been unable to live outside her body, his incredible metabolism causing his body to be malformed beyond the ability to survive. She sobbed once, brokenly, and Sinister, watching through a camera concealed in the ceiling, smiled, knowing she would cooperate for the sake of her child.  
  
"Two for the price of one," he said quietly, his fingers lightly touching her figure on the screen. He watched her as she fought her tears. She looked up once, and the expression of stubborn resolve was gone from her face. The expression she wore now was fear, and it made her look like a lost child. He turned and looked at the child behind him. His expression was identical to Star's.  
  
Sinister had decided that, while Dr. Richardson's work was basically sound, he had erred in the method he had used to raise his animals. Sinister had removed the boy from the growth chamber while he was still physically an infant, and had tried to raise him as if he were a normal child. He had lavished him with attention, had seen to his every need, both physical and emotional, but the boy had not responded as he had hoped. He had never learned to speak and did not respond to the "affection" his attendants pretended to feel. Perhaps this woman, Star she called herself, would be able to reach him. She would be able to understand the boy's needs, his fears, for she had been genetically blessed with the same frantic metabolism and had grown to adulthood in a few short years. She should be able to reach the child, to teach him to control the powers which would soon begin to blossom within his rapidly maturing body. Sinister hoped she would be able to help, for the powers this child would develop were far too dangerous to be allowed to grow unchecked, and the boy would otherwise have to be destroyed. The fact that she was also his genetic mother could be of benefit as well.  
  
  
  
  
He waited several hours before re-entering the room. Star looked up at him and struggled to her feet.  
  
"What is it you want from me?" she asked him, her voice harsh, rough from the dryness of her throat. He looked at her for a moment then stepped forward and took her by the arm, ignoring how she flinched away from his touch.  
  
"Come with me." She was far too weak to resist him as he pulled her from the room. In spite of her weakness, she took careful note of her surroundings, prepared to use the knowledge should an opportunity arise.  
  
He jerked her to a stop in front of a long low window. It looked upon another room, where the boy sat motionless on his bunk. Star gasped, for the room was much like the cage she had grown up in.  
  
"What...?"  
  
"I need your help with the boy."  
  
"My help?"  
  
"Yes." Star shook her head.  
  
"Why didn't you just ask?"  
  
"I did not have time. If you cannot reach him before his powers develop, I will be forced to destroy him." Star looked at him in horror.  
  
"He's just a child!"  
  
"Yes, but a very dangerous child. And he will not remain a child for long." He looked at her speculatively as she continued to watch the boy, one hand raised to touch the glass.  
  
"You have three lives to gain by helping me." She glared at him for a moment, then closed her eyes and nodded mutely.  
  
"I thought you could be reasoned with." He took her arm once more and shoved her toward a man wearing a white lab coat. "Get her something to eat and get her cleaned up. Then bring her back here." The man nodded. "And keep an eye on her," Sinister added.  
  
"What's his name?" Star asked suddenly. After a long moment Sinister answered.  
  
"I've called him Matthew." Then he turned his back on her and stalked away down the hall. The man in the lab coat half led, half carried Star in the other direction. She looked back over her shoulder at the child as he sat huddled in his room.  
  
  
  
  
The boy shook his head as the people moved away from the glass wall. He could not see them, but he was always able to sense their presence. His long red hair fell into his face and he brushed at it irritably, looking at his reflection with more knowledge than Sinister had given him credit for. There had been a new person today, someone he had never felt before, but who felt very familiar. She was frightened and unhappy to be here, but she also feared for him, something no one had ever felt before. They were afraid of him, yes, but never for him. He decided to wait and see what would happen, listening to her thoughts, though she was much harder to hear than Sinister or the others. Her feelings for him were genuine, not feigned. She would help if she could.  
  
  
  



	9. Default Chapter Title

  
The man took Star to a small kitchenette and seated her at the table. He opened a can of soup and heated it for her. She sipped it cautiously, wanting to gulp it, but knowing that it would only make her sick, and she needed the nourishment too badly. When she had finished, the man watching impatiently, she put the cup on the table and he stepped forward and helped her to stand. He took her to a large shower room and told her to strip.  
  
"I am capable of bathing myself," she said.  
  
"Sorry, lady. Just following orders. Boss man said I was to keep an eye on you, and that is exactly what I'm going to do. Now get out of those clothes, or would you rather I did it for you?" Lifting her head, Star peeled out of her soiled clothing and stepped up to the shower controls. She adjusted the water and stepped into the stream. The man crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, watching her. She stayed in the water as long as she dared, her parched body absorbing the moisture through her skin, as well as through the damp air she breathed in. When she shut the water off, the man tossed her a towel, and had a clean shirt ready for her. As small as she was, it was quite long enough to cover her body and she put it on quickly.  
  
"Come on," he said when she had finished dressing and she followed him back into the corridor. He took her back to Matthew's cubicle and, opening the door, gestured for her to enter. She stepped inside and heard the door close behind her. The boy looked up at her, but made no other move.  
  
"Hello, Matthew," she said. "My name is Star." The boy watched her silently. "May I sit down?" she asked, placing one hand on the back of the chair. His eyes flicked from her face, to the chair, and back again. She took it as an invitation and sat down. He watched her without blinking.  
  
"I grew up in a room almost exactly like this, Matthew, so I know a little about what it must be like for you." He just looked at her. Star sighed and the boy echoed her.  
  
  
  
  
He felt the woman returning and watched as the door opened and she entered. He felt her heart leap when the door closed behind her, though she was scarcely aware of it herself. She spoke to him for a moment and he found he had to pay careful attention to her because her mind voice was so quiet. She leaned on the back of his chair and he could sense her weariness. Why didn't she just sit down? That's what the others did when they came to bury him with their thoughts. When he looked at the chair, she smiled at him and sat down. She continued to speak to him and he caught glimpses of another child in another room. She sighed and he sighed with her as he realized that he was seeing her memories, that she was the child in the room. He got up and walked over to her. She looked up at him and he realized that she was much smaller than any of the other people he had seen. He was easily as tall as she, and he was far from grown. He put his hand on her shoulder and they both shuddered from her remembered pain. He cried out and snatched his hand away. She slumped in the chair, leaning heavily on the table. When she looked up at him, he backed away from her, until he ran into the wall behind him.  
  
  
  
  
When he touched her, her fatigue weakened shields crumbled and the boy was bombarded by her memories. Unfortunately, the clearest memories were of the pain she had endured, first during her time as a lab animal, then later with the X-Men. The electric shocks when the Doctor was dissatisfied with her progress, the terror and aloneness of the sensory deprivation chamber; Wolverine's anger as he stood over her, with his claws extended; the men at the mall; the flight from the courtroom; Wolverine again, as she lay, broken and bloodied, in the woods by the mansion; Sabretooth's claws on her back; the Reaver's crushing weight as he raped her, and on and on. The boy screamed and backed away from her. She forced her shields back into place, then turned to try and comfort the terrified child.  
  
  
  
  
His eyes widened as her mental presence faded completely. He cowered against the wall as she approached him. When she touched him, he nearly screamed again, but all the contact brought was a gentle awareness. And he realized that she had built a wall around her mind to protect him. If he concentrated, he could understand what she wanted. She was so quiet!  
  
  
"Matthew, its all right. I'm sorry, son. Its OK. I won't let it happen again, I promise." He flinched when she touched him, then relaxed imperceptibly. He looked up into her face, his blue eyes flickering from one of her silver flecked blue eyes to the other, then he threw his arms around her neck and clung to her.  
  
  
  
  
He was astonished to find that she genuinely cared about him, that she wanted to comfort him. He put his arms around her and hugged her tightly. She held him and he felt protected, loved for the first time in his very short life.  
  
"Mama?" he said hesitantly, mumbling into her hair.  
  
"Yes, darling. You can call me Mama," she answered quietly.  
  
  
  
  
Sinister watched them on the monitor, smiling tightly. Already the boy responded to her. The only difficulty he could foresee would come when she was no longer necessary, and he had to separate them. Well, he would just deal with that when the time came.  
  
  
  
  
  
Wolverine would not accept the thought that Star might never be returned to him. He continued to search long after the others had lost heart. He could not give up, even though there had been no sign of Star or Sinister in the long weeks since her disappearance.  
  
  
  
  
Star's pregnancy became more obvious as the weeks passed. Matthew sat down next to her, and placed his hand on her abdomen.  
  
"Baby?" he asked. He rarely spoke to anyone other than Star, and he always used the fewest words possible. Star looked up at him, for he was now taller than she, and smiled.  
  
"Yes, Matthew."  
  
"Thought so. Can hear."  
  
"You can hear the baby?" Matthew nodded, then looked puzzled.  
  
"How?"  
  
"How can you hear the baby?"  
  
"No. How baby?"  
  
"Ah, I understand." Star smiled at him, then, remembering what she'd read about the technical portion of human reproduction, and embellished with her own feelings towards her child's father, she began to explain.  
  
"Do you understand?"  
  
"Yes." He frowned. "Who Logan?"  
  
"'Who is Logan'. Please, Matthew, other people will have difficulty understanding you if you don't vocalize the entire sentence."  
  
"'kay. Who is Logan." Star smiled at him again, sadly this time.  
  
"Logan is my husband. I love him very much, and I miss him."  
  
"I be husband. You love me."  
  
"I do love you, Matthew. But I loved Logan first, and in a different way."  
  
"Logan father?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You go back?"  
  
"Please, Matthew." Matthew sighed, and began again.  
  
"Do you want to go back?"  
  
"Yes. I'm certain that he is terribly worried about me."  
  
"Tell him you are okay."  
  
"I can't, Matthew. I no longer have the ability to speak to him with my mind."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I ... tried too hard, and hurt myself. That's why we are being so careful with you, why you must practice so much."  
  
"I can hear you."  
  
"Yes, you can. But that is because of your powers, not mine." Matthew did not look satisfied, but he did not ask any further questions.  
  
  
Sinister smiled as he watched the little drama unfold on the screen. He'd done extensive testing while Star was unconscious when he'd brought her here. And Matthew had told him more after the two mutants had touched minds and the boy had begun to speak. He could use the information he'd gathered to insure that she didn't try to escape. He'd seen her watching his guards and knew what she had in mind.  
  
  
  
  
When Star was returned to her room, as always under guard, Sinister was waiting for her. She watched him cautiously, waiting.  
  
"You know, you should not lie to the child. Eventually, he will find you out."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Your child. You told him Logan was the father."  
  
"Logan is the father, Sinister. I don't know what you hope to gain by..."  
  
"Sure of that, are you?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"There is no chance that someone else could be responsible?"  
  
"None."  
  
"Hmmm." He looked at her where she stood by the door, her small hands fisted at her sides. "That's very strange. I did a complete genetic profile on you, and your child, when you first ... arrived here. Yours checked against the file I already had on you, and the child's is very interesting." He got up a moved toward her. "I decided to check it against some of the other files I have. I like to keep track of who is related to whom. I have Logan in my files. And certain of the Reavers." He was gratified to see her pale. He reached out and stroked her cheek. "What do you suppose I found?" He laughed. "You might as well make yourself comfortable here, my dear. Do you truly believe that he would welcome you back, with another man's child growing in your belly?"  
  
"He ... he would ..."  
  
"Let me guess," he interrupted. "He wouldn't care, he would love you anyway, and would love your child as if it were his own. And every time he looked at its face, he would see the face of his enemy. How long do you think he would stay with you then?" He laughed again, and stepped past her through the open door. He closed it behind him and locked it. He returned to his observation room, and turned on the monitor in her room. She was still standing at the door, and he smiled as a single tear slipped down her cheek.  
  
  
  
  
The next morning, Star was returned to Matthew's room. He could tell that she was upset, but she refused to tell him what was wrong.  
  
"I'll be all right, Matthew," she said. But she kept her mind tightly closed. Finally, he could stand it no longer. He put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and her smile wavered when she met his eyes.  
  
"Matth..." she began when he reached inside her mind and shut her shields off. But he went too deep. He was left with an impression of momentary terror, and then there was nothing. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed. He stared at her, stunned, then knelt beside her and shook her shoulder.  
  
"Mama?" She didn't move. "Mama?!?" The door opened and a guard entered. The man bent over Star for a moment, then smiled at Matthew.  
  
"She'll be OK, son. Just let me take her back to her room now." Matthew watched, frightened, as the guard picked Star up and carried her from the room. His smile hadn't reached his eyes, and his thoughts were frightened, but not for Star. He was frightened of Matthew. Star remained completely silent. Then he could hear Sinister giving orders. He "tapped" into one of the guards, as Star had shown him, and he could see the room.  
  
Sinister studied a read out, frowning.  
  
"What did he do to her, sir?" someone asked.  
  
"Quiet, you idiot." He looked up from the display and stared at Star. He smiled coldly. "He's shut off her mind." He walked over to Star and tapped her on the forehead. "There are no brain functions above the bare minimum necessary to keep her alive. Magnificent!" He laughed and the sound chilled Matthew to the bone. He broke the link and sat, huddled and miserable, alone in his cage.  
  
  
  
  
"What do we do with the girl, sir?" one of the technicians asked.  
  
"Monitor her. If her condition changes, contact me. I want to know if this alteration is permanent." He continued to smile as he left the room, and returned to his observation chamber. He watched the boy. This project was turning out quite well. The intercom beeped.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Her temperature is rising, sir."  
  
"Significantly?"  
  
"Yes, sir. Its up four degrees, and the rate of increase is accelerating."  
  
"Interesting. Keep me apprised."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
  
  
  
Several hours later, during which time Matthew didn't move, Sinister decided to check on Star's progress.  
  
"Her temperature stabilized at one hundred and nine, sir. Her metabolism is racing. Shall we begin intravenous feeding?"  
  
"I suppose that would be best." He was almost disappointed that the boy hadn't killed her outright. Ah, well. It would all work out.  
  
  
  
  
Matthew kept his eyes tightly closed. He knew Star was still alive. He'd tapped into the guard again, hoping she was better. He didn't know what had happened, but he knew he couldn't fix it if he couldn't get to her. He thought about her "husband". He didn't like him, simply because he was a rival for her affection, but perhaps he could help. He thought about the mind picture he'd seen in Star's thoughts, about the way the man's mind felt to her. And he reached.  
  
  
  
  
"Logan," it was the faintest of whispers, but it was enough to stop him in his tracks. Jubilee ran into him.  
  
"Hey, what gives?"  
  
"Quiet, darlin'."  
  
"Logan!" it came again, a little stronger this time. "Can you hear me?"  
  
"I hear ya, bub. Who are ya, an' what're ya doin' in my head?"  
  
"Wolvie?"  
  
"Turn this thing off an' get Jeannie for me."  
  
"Uh, right. End program!" Jubilee called as she headed for the intercom revealed as the holograms faded.  
  
"Logan?"  
  
"I'm here, kid."  
  
"Mama ... Star ... needs you."  
  
"Star? Where is she?"  
  
"Here. I hurt her. I didn't mean to. She needs you."  
  
"Logan?"  
  
"Jeannie! There's a kid in my head. He says Star's with him. Can you find him?"  
  
"I will try."  
  
"Logan?"  
  
"I got a friend with me, kid. Can you show her where ya are?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Jeannie?"  
  
"Hello."  
  
"Mama remembers you," the youthful voice said after a pause. "Can you follow me? Mama needs help."  
  
"I believe so. What is your name?"  
  
"Matthew. You need to hurry. You're too far," the voice, faint to begin with, began to fade. "Hurry!"  
  
"Matthew?" There was no response.  
  
"Did ya get him, Jeannie?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Let's go!"  
  
  
  
  
Matthew looked up when Sinister entered his room.  
  
"I want Mama."  
  
"I'm sorry, son. She can't come see you right now," his voice was sincere, but Matthew could see beyond the surface.  
  
"I can make her better."  
  
"Can you? Well, it might be interesting to let you try. Come." The boy, preceding him down the hall, was nearly as tall as he was. Sinister smiled. The boy was certainly well grown, and should be coming into his full powers soon. Star had trained him well, but she had outlasted her usefulness. He would have to arrange an accident for her, then be available to comfort the boy, to transfer the child's feelings of affection to himself. He would have a powerful tool in this mutant.  
  
  
  
  
Star's face was flushed, her hair was plastered to her skull. Matthew looked at her for a moment, feeling the awful blankness where she should have been. He touched her arm and reached again. She was almost as hard to find as her "husband" had been, but he did it. He found her and brought her back. She opened her eyes and looked up at him.  
  
"Matthew."  
  
"Hello, Mama." She smiled at him, then looked around. A frown flickered across her forehead and she quickly put a hand on her swollen abdomen. Matthew covered her hand with his own.  
  
"Baby s'OK, Mama," he said, reverting to the short speech she'd worked so hard to teach him not to use. She sighed and closed her eyes in relief. He frowned at her belly. He didn't want to share her with anyone. He was suddenly sorry he'd called her husband.  
  
  
  
  
The X-Men quickly boarded the Blackbird and took off. Following Jean's directions, they moved silently across the country, toward Star and the mysterious Matthew.  
  
  
  
  
Star got shakily to her feet as Matthew watched her anxiously. She smiled at him and he beamed back.  
  
"Can we go back to my lessons now?"  
  
"Perhaps you should allow her to ... rest," Sinister interrupted before Star could answer. Matthew glowered at him.  
  
"Its all right, Matthew," Star said. "I do need to rest for a bit. I'll see you later."  
  
"OK, Mama," the boy answered sullenly. Sinister took him back to his room, while other guards delivered Star to her cell. She stretched out on her bed, and thought about what Matthew had done. If he had not ... recovered ... her mind, she would never have awakened. She put one hand on her belly, feeling the child within stir. She was noticeably further along in her pregnancy than she'd been that morning. Perhaps the normal progress was due to her healing abilities, whether she had been aware of using her powers or not. She closed her eyes with a sigh.  
  
  
  
  
"Well, Matthew," Sinister began. "I guess you can see, now, that her new child is more important to her than you are, can't you?" Matthew looked up a Sinister from where he sat on his bed. "It will be born soon. And then she won't have any time for you at all." He walked around the room, pretending to examine the items he found scattered about. "Is that fair?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Not fair at all. After all, you are her child as well. But did she take care of you while you were waiting to be born?" Matthew's mouth dropped open and he stared at Sinister. "Oh, didn't she ever tell you? My, my. How thoughtless of her." He put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Yes, indeed. You are her first born. Her eldest. But I had to intervene just to keep you alive. She and your father, not to mention the rest of the X-Men, had written you off. Why," he continued, "they even held a funeral. If I hadn't come along, you'd have died, alone in that nasty little box they'd buried you in."  
  
"Why would they do that?" Matthew asked, his voice shaking. "Why would she do that?"  
  
"Do you truly want to know?" The boy nodded. "Let me show you, then." He moved to the small desk, and typed a command on the keyboard. A picture formed on the screen. "Come here, boy. Let me show you what your beloved 'Mama' allowed you to develop into." Matthew looked at the picture.  
  
"What is that?"  
  
"That was you, dear boy. Until I took you away from your loving parents. It only took a few minor adjustments to your genetic structure to allow you to develop normally, into the fine young man you are now.  
  
"What about..."  
  
"The new child?" Sinister interrupted. "She's guiding its development with her healing powers. Something she could have done for you, had she so chosen."  
  
"But she said she loved me."  
  
"I see. You poor child. You probably believed her, too. Well, as you grow older, you will learn that people, women especially, will say whatever you want to hear, when it is to their benefit." Matthew looked stricken. Sinister smiled, his back to the boy, knowing that this battle was won. When he turned to face him, his face was suitably sympathetic.  
  
"But how could she lie? I could hear her thoughts."  
  
"Star is a very powerful telepath, Matthew. You could only hear what she allowed you to hear." Matthew swallowed his other objections. It was clear that she had lied to him. She'd been more skillful that the others, but she was not true friend. Sinister smiled down at him, and if his smile held no genuine warmth, at least he had never pretended to be his friend.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Star awoke with a start. There was an odd howling which took her a moment to identify as an alarm. She got up and moved quickly to the door. Matthew would probably be frightened by the confusion an alarm would create, and she wanted to be with him. It did not occur to her that she was the ultimate cause of the alarm. She banged on the door, but no one answered her. She pushed, but it didn't budge. She heard the sound of running feet and pushed harder. Her eyes, suddenly silver, were determined. She shoved harder and the door moved outward a fraction. She leaned into it, and the door flew open. She stepped out into the hall, but no one was visible. She hurried in the direction of Matthew's room, and now she could hear sounds of fighting. She reached his room. The door was standing open. Within, she could see Sinister, standing behind Matthew, with one hand on the boy's shoulder. The air around them began to flicker. Star realized that this must be the teleportation field she'd heard mentioned. She stepped quickly forward into the field. She had to stop him from taking Matthew. Sinister moved in front of Matthew as the field grew stronger. He raised his hand to strike her, but she ducked under the blow and reached the boy. Reality itself seemed to come apart around them. Matthew jerked away from her, and glared down at her with hate filled eyes. She recoiled, and Sinister laughed.  
  
"Push her away, boy! Rid yourself of her lying hand once and for all!" Matthew continued to glare, and she saw his eyes go silver even as she felt herself falling backwards, out of the field. She screamed as she felt herself being torn apart, then there was nothing but darkness.  
  
  
  
  
"Dis da place, mon amie?" the tall Cajun asked.  
  
"Yeah," Wolverine snarled. "She was here just a minute ago, an' her trail don't leave this room." He growled in frustration. "She was just here!"  
  
"Wolvie?"  
  
"She's gone, Jubilee. For weeks, we don't hear nothin'! We finally got a lead, an' she's gone!" He stormed from the room, perhaps hoping to find one of Sinister's men who could tell him where Star had been taken this time. Jubilee followed him.  
  
Jean entered, followed by Rogue.  
  
"She gone again, Cheries," Gambit said in answer to the unasked question. They could hear Wolverine snarling with rage in the distance.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
When the world finally resolved itself around her, Star found herself lying on the rocky shore of a large body of water. She was damp from the spray, and when she licked her lips she tasted salt. She got slowly to her feet, for she could not shake the absurd feeling that if she moved too quickly, she would break apart. She didn't know where she was or, for that matter, who she was. She was wet and cold, and the child within her was frighteningly still. She climbed laboriously to the top of the steep slope which followed the edge of the water for as far as she could see. When she reached the top she was relieved to see a road and, in the distance, a small building. She walked slowly to the road and began to follow it carefully toward the building, which remained dark in the gathering gloom, and she felt her hope of shelter fade. When she reached the building, she saw a large sign which read "Closed" hanging in the door. She tried it anyway, but was unsurprised to find it locked. She leaned against the door for a minute or two, trying to sort her scrambled thoughts. It didn't help, everything insisted on remaining fuzzy. She turned at last and began to walk down the road. She continued in the direction she had started simply because to retrace her steps seemed an odd sort of defeat.  
  
  



	10. Default Chapter Title

  
She walked along the road, the wind from the sea chilling her through, for a long time. It grew darker and colder and her steps grew more hesitant. The sky was overcast and several times she stumbled over unseen obstacles which were strewn about the road. She had nearly reached the end of her strength when a large vehicle topped an unsuspected rise in the landscape, and its headlights nearly blinded her. She threw her arm across her eyes and turned away as the vehicle shrieked to a halt a hundred feet beyond where she stood. The door opened and the driver leaped out.  
  
"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!" he shouted. "What the devil are ye doin' in the middle of the blasted road!?!" She stood blinking at him. He spoke with an accent she wasn't familiar with, and she barely understood him. "Well?" he demanded.  
  
"I...I was...walking," she answered slowly, for in truth she wasn't completely certain herself.  
  
"A bloody Yank. I might ha' known." He seemed to look at her for the first time. "Och, girl. You're no' dressed tae be oot on the moor. Come on, get in me Lorry before ye catch yer death." The man turned, still fuming, and started back toward his vehicle. She hesitated for a moment before following him. He jerked the door open and stood waiting impatiently for her.  
  
"Come on, then," he growled. "Get in. I'll no' bite ye. I've go' a load tae deliver an' I'm running behind as i' tis." She looked up into the cab. It was a daunting distance from the ground.  
  
"Are ye goin' tae get in, or no'? he asked.  
  
"I ... don't think I can."  
  
"Well, why the bloody hell not?" he said stepping around the door. "Ah, hells," he said, catching a good look at her in the light from the cab. He bent down and cupped his hands to give her a boost. When she was settled, he closed the door and walked around the front of the truck to the driver's side. He got in and turned the heater up to full, then put the vehicle into gear and started down the dark road, back in the direction from which she had come. Star was too tired, and too cold, to protest. Moments later the empty building flashed passed, and she sighed. He glanced at her but didn't say anything. In the warmth of the cab, her single garment quickly dried, and her weariness overcame her. She slept. The driver, intent upon the winding and treacherous coastline road, did not look at her again.  
  
  
  
  
Several hours later, the driver pulled his lorry up to a dockside warehouse. As he backed the trailer up to the loading dock, a man with a clipboard came out of the building.  
  
"Hey, Charlie! Where've ye been, lad? The boat leaves in two hours, ye know."  
  
"Aye, I know. Had a bit o' trouble on the road," he said as he climbed down from the cab. The other man glanced into the cab and spied Star.  
  
"Stopped tae pick up a bit o' fluff, is what ye did."  
  
"Ye know me better 'n that," he replied. "She's part o' the trouble. Blasted Yank was walkin' down the middle o' the road. I near ran her down."  
  
"What will ye be doin' wi' her, then?"  
  
"I dinnea kin. I thought tae take her home. Ye know how my Mary loves tae mother the young ones."  
  
"Aye, that she does. Well, come on, lad. We'd best see yer cargo unloaded. Then ye can take the wee lass tae yer Mary."  
  
As the two men moved to the back of the truck, Star awoke. They didn't see her open the door and slide down from the high cab. Later, when they discovered her missing, they would search for her for hours, for the dock was no place for a woman alone.  
  
  
  
  
Star winced as her bare feet touched the cold pavement. She absently closed the truck door and looked around, shivering in the damp chill. The sign on the nearest building read "Fashven Shipping".  
  
"Fashven," she thought. "That's in Scotland! I know someone in Scotland, but who? Why can't I remember?" She moved away from the quiet hustle of the warehouse, searching for something which would trigger her memory.  
  
Several times, as she walked along the dock, she thought she heard something behind her, but when she turned, there was nothing there. She saw a billboard, advertising ladies' apparel, and she stopped to look at the picture of fine ladies in fancy clothes. She noticed that the shop was located at 201 Willoughby Dr. She frowned at the abbreviation. Dr. stood for drive, she knew, but it also stood for doctor. Dr. MacTaggert! She was in Scotland! Perhaps she could help. Star began to look for a phone.  
  
  
  
  
"None o' these apes've got a clue about where ta find Star," Wolverine snarled. "Jeannie have any luck?"  
  
"Not so far, sugah," Rogue answered. He slammed his hand into the wall in frustration. "Take it easy, sugah! We'll find the little gal." The other X-Men watched their ferocious ally sadly, knowing that this was hardest of all on him.  
  
"Its no use, Scott. I can't find a trace of either Star or the boy," Jean said quietly. "They were here, Wolverine confirmed that, but I can't tell where they've gone. Perhaps the Professor would have better luck. I'll return to the blackbird and contact him."  
  
"All right, Jean. I don't think there is anything else to be learned here. Henry," Scott said, turning to Beast. "Any luck with the computer records?"  
  
"I have down loaded the contents of the files into storage discs that we may study at our leisure, but there did not appear to be any reference to the ultimate destination of our quarry."  
  
"All right, people. Let's get out of here." Cyclops looked around for a moment, "And somebody go find Wolverine."  
  
"I find him, mes amies," Gambit said from the doorway, his nimble fingers endlessly flicking the card he held back and forth.  
  
"Thanks, Gambit. Let's get loaded up."  
  
The X-Men quickly filed out of the building and boarded the waiting plane. A few minutes later, Gambit and Wolverine joined them. The plane took off without a sound, while an equally silent Wolverine stared out the window, fury warring with grief in his eyes.  
  
  
  
  
Star finally found a phone, though it was strange looking, and the buttons with which she was familiar had been replaced by a dial. She had never needed to use a public phone, and wasn't really sure how to go about placing a call. She studied the faded diagram above the phone. She wasn't even sure the phone pictured was the same as the unit actually present. She picked up the handset and hesitantly dialed zero. After a moment the phone buzzed sharply and she nearly dropped the handset. She tentatively returned the speaker to her ear as the phone buzzed again. Then a woman answered.  
  
"Operator."  
  
"Hello?" Star said.  
  
"This is the Operator, how can I help ye?"  
  
"I ... need to speak with Dr. MacTaggert, please."  
  
"Is this an emergency?"  
  
"Not ... exactly."  
  
"Then please call information for assistance."  
  
"But I," Star began when the line went dead. "I don't know how." Star sighed and, shivering, the warmth of the truck cab only a fading memory, tried again.  
  
"Operator," a different voice answered.  
  
"I need to speak with Dr. MacTaggert and I don't know how to reach information," Star said in a rush.  
  
"All right, lass. I'll see if I can get the number for ye." There was a long silence and Star was beginning to think the woman had disconnected her, when she came back on the line.  
  
"I do nae show any Dr. MacTaggert in yer area, though there are several MacTaggerts. Are ye sure yer Dr. MacTaggert lives in Fashven?"  
  
"No, she ... lives on an island."  
  
"An island. Let's see, that would probably be Muir Island. Ah, here i' tis. The doctor is not listed separately, but there is a research facility out there. Do ye have something to write the number down on?"  
  
"Uh," Star looked around, but there wasn't so much as a scrap of paper drifting across the dock. She thought she saw someone watching her from the shadows of an alley, and considered calling out to them, but they disappeared from sight. "No, I don't."  
  
"Well then, I'll connect ye. Please deposit half a crown for the call."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Deposit ... do ye have any money, lass?"  
  
"No." The woman sighed.  
  
"Well, we'll just reverse the charges, then. I'll need yer name, to tell them who's calling."  
  
"My name?"  
  
"Yes, dear." The woman reminded Star of Jean, very motherly.  
  
"My name ... is ... " she fought to clear the fog in her head. "Star! My name is Star."  
  
"Star? Are ye sure, girl? That sounds like a nick name."  
  
"Uh," Star thought for a minute. "Logan, I think its Emily Logan."  
  
"Ye think? Girl, are ye all right?"  
  
"I ... will be if you can get Dr. MacTaggert for me. I think."  
  
"Hold the line. Don't ye be hanging up on me, now. This might take a bit."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
  
  
  
At the Muir Island Research Facility, also home of the mutant team Excalibur, the phone rang for several minutes in the early morning darkness. Finally, a bleary eyed Kurt Wagner, also known as Nightcrawler, picked it up.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Good marning, sir. I have a call fer a Dr. MacTaggert, charges reversed. Would he be there tae accept?"  
  
"Our Dr. MacTaggert is a she. And who vould be calling this early, anyvay?"  
  
"My apologies, sir. Tis Emily Logan, calling. Will ye accept the charges?"  
  
"Logan? Vhy vould he call collect?"  
  
"Tis a lass on this end as well, sir. An' truth be told, sir, she sounds verra frightened."  
  
"Put her through, then."  
  
"Shall I stay on the line?"  
  
"Um, yes. Until you are certain she's been connected."  
  
"Verra good, sir."  
  
"Operator?"  
  
"Yes, sir?"  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Yuir welcome, sir."  
  
  
  
  
As Star waited for the operator to complete her call, she realized that the person she had seen in the alley had returned. She watched the man emerge from the shadow and begin to walk toward her. A second man, then a third, stepped out of the alley behind him. She was suddenly frightened of them, but she did not want to leave the phone. She hoped they would just keep going. She realized suddenly that they weren't much more than just boys. Just like the men in the mall had been. She frowned, trying to remember. Why was she afraid of them just because they reminded her of someone in a mall? What was wrong with her memory?  
  
The first man reached her, and leaned on the pole holding the phone, his arms crossed.  
  
"Who said ye could use that phone, ye harlot?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"That phone is on our ground, an' I don't recall givin' ye permission tae use it."  
  
"I needed to call ..." she began, and the man reached for her. She blocked his hands, but dropped the handset in the process, just as she heard a click.  
  
"Ye've got tae pay tae use our property, isn't that so, lads?" he asked, advancing on her. She backed away cautiously, with a regretful glance at the phone, dangling by its cord.  
  
"Hello?" she heard a tinny voice speak from the receiver. "Hello? Operator, are you still there?"  
  
  
"Operator, are you still there?" Kurt asked.  
  
"Aye, sir."  
  
"She's not answering." He heard several clicks as the operator typed on something.  
  
"The line's still open, sir. Perhaps I should call the police."  
  
"Vhere vas she calling from?"  
  
"Fashven, sir."  
  
"No, I mean, exactly vhere?"  
  
"Tis a public phone, at the north end of the main shipping dock."  
  
"Dankeshan, I know the place."  
  
"Shall I call the police, sir?" the operator asked. Her only answer was an odd "Bamf!" sound. She disconnected, and called the police.  
  
  
  
  
The man continued to move toward her, and his companions had begun to spread out, trying to get behind her, or cut her off. She moved backwards, trying to keep all three of them in front of her. She bumped into something, and when she stumbled the man on her left lunged for her. She moved aside, but he caught a handful of her shirt. The garment, much too large, tore as she spun, kicking him and breaking his knee as she turned. He released her and fell to the dock, gasping. The first man glanced at his companion, then turned back to Star, his eyes blazing with fury.  
  
"Ye should nae ha' done that," he snarled, reaching behind his back. "Now I have tae kill ye." When his hand came into view again, he held a long bladed knife. She noted that he carried the blade as if he knew how to use it. If she'd had more time, she might have wondered how she knew that. The third man dropped back, to give his leader room to wield his weapon. She realized that she had backed up until she was across from an opening between two warehouses. Without hesitation, she plunged into the darkness. She had only gone a few steps when she knew that, encumbered as she was, she had no hope of outrunning him. In fact, she thought as she listened to her pursuers, she probably wouldn't make it to the end of the alley. She saw what appeared to be a broom handle sticking out of a trashcan. It would have to do. She snatched it as she ran past. It wasn't a broom handle! It was a broken gaffing hook. She stopped abruptly and faced the men. They stared at her, surprised that she no longer tried to run.  
  
She held the broken tool in front of her with both hands, one toward each end. When the man slashed at her with the blade, she shifted her makeshift staff slightly toward him. The second man tried to rush her. She spun the staff and struck him across the face, knocking him down and, for the moment at least, out. She faced the knifeman once more, no longer aware of the cold, though her skin was tinged blue from it.  
  
"Yer good, girl. But not good enough." He took a step forward, and she echoed his move by stepping back. "I'm goin' tae kill ye slow, for what ye've done tae me lads." He looked her up and down, still advancing as she retreated. "When I'm finished wi' ye here, I'll take ye tae a quiet place I know, where we will nae be disturbed while I cut ye apart. The last thing I'll do before I let ye die is tae cut the bairn from yer belly and feed it tae me hound." Star felt her belly tighten at the threat to her child. She began to tremble, but not with fear. She straightened slightly and stopped retreating. The grinning knifeman's smile faltered for an instant when their eyes met. Then he looked past her and his grin returned. She heard them approach, but did not turn. She could hear two of them, but she could smell a third. She knew she must take him out first, for if he could move that quietly, he was undoubtedly a deadlier foe even than the knifeman. She waited, feeling the rage building within her.  
  
  
  
  
Kurt appeared on the dock with the characteristic "Bamf!", surrounded by the smell of sulfur. The area was deserted, but a few feet away was the telephone from which the girl had called him. The handset still swung gently from where it had been dropped. The only thing present on the windswept dock was a scrap of torn cloth. He was beginning to think the whole thing had been nothing more than a prank, though the operator had certainly sounded worried. Then he heard a moan. A man sat in a doorway, his legs out in front of him. He had been hidden from Kurt's view by a stack of empty crates.  
  
"Gooten tag," Kurt said quietly. The man looked up at him. In the gloom Kurt's dark blue fur could easily be mistaken for a more usual dark skin tone.  
  
"Who are ye?" the man asked through clenched teeth.  
  
"A visitor. Haf you seen the girl who vas using that phone?"  
  
"Aye. Help me up, would you? I've got to catch up wi' ma mates."  
  
"Vhere is the girl?"  
  
"William an' the lads are takin' care o' her. Stinkin' bitch broke ma leg."  
  
"Now, vhy vould a girl break your leg? Did you, perhaps, do something to deserve it?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Vhere is the girl," Kurt demanded, his voice as cold as the sea air which swept the dock. The man stared at him, failing to comprehend how the kind stranger of a moment before had suddenly transformed into this cold and deadly menace. Kurt grabbed him by the shirtfront and yanked him to his good leg.  
  
"If you do not tell me vhere to find the girl, I vill do more than yust break your leg."  
  
"There!" the main pointed toward the alley. "She went in there!"  
  
"Dankeshan," Kurt said, dropping the man and teleporting to the mouth of the alley from which now came the faint sounds of a struggle.  
  
  
  
  
When her silent opponent was within range, she turned and struck with deadly speed. The man dropped, much more noisily than he had moved. The knifeman dove toward her, his long blade threatening her swollen belly. She ripped out his throat with the gaffing hook, and knocked the blade away. She whirled again and struck the third man in the chest with the butt of her staff. He dropped to the ground clutching his chest with both hands. The last man backed away from her, groping inside his jacket. She neither knew nor cared what he sought there as she stepped forward and slammed her staff into the side of his head. His body struck the building wall before he, too, fell to the ground. She heard something behind her and turned, her makeshift staff ready once more.  
  
  
  
  
Kurt reached the mouth of the alley just as the girl struck her first opponent. He teleported closer, intending to take the man with the knife, but the man fell to the ground at his feet, dead before his knife struck the wall. He looked up from the body in time to see the last man fall. The girl whirled to face him and he froze. He was careful to make no sudden motions, while at the same time preparing to teleport to a safe distance. Say, back to his room on Muir Island, for he had seen the expression in the girl's eyes before. It was the expression his friend Wolverine wore in the height of battle.  
  
  
  
  
The man before her made no threatening gestures, and was out of easy striking distance. He didn't smell like the others, either. She felt the rage begin to fade as he continued to stand motionless before her. The end of the gaffing hook drooped as the adrenaline level in her blood gradually began to return to normal.  
  
"Gooten tag, frauline," he said quietly and she raised her weapon once more. "Or perhaps 'Gooten morgan' vould be more appropriate?"  
  
  
  
  
Kurt took a cautious step forward as she watched him warily.  
  
"You are Emily Logan?" he asked.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"Kurt Wagner." She frowned and the point of her weapon wavered once more.  
  
"Kurt," she said quietly, the tension slowly beginning to drain from her body. "Kurt," she repeated. He moved closer, carefully shifting the blood stained hook to one side. The girl did not resist him. She looked up at him suddenly,  
  
"He calls you Elf," she said as he gently took the weapon from her hands.  
  
"Who does, leibshen?" he asked her, knowing of only one person that used that nickname.  
  
"I ... don't know," she answered slowly. He took her hand and drew her toward the mouth of the alley.  
  
  
  
  
Star knew this man, though she didn't think she had ever met him. She allowed him to take the gaffing hook from her hands. She was suddenly cold and unbearably weary. When he took her hand and began to lead her from the alley, she didn't resist.  
  
She heard a police siren and was suddenly afraid. She pulled back and he turned to look at her.  
  
"Come, leibshen. I vill take you to Dr. MacTaggert."  
  
"The police ..." she protested.  
  
"Vill not see us. You know I am a mutant?"  
  
"Yes" she answered, though, again, she didn't know how she knew. He released her hand and stepped from the blackness of the alley out onto the dock itself. The meager light was more than enough to show his pointed ears, and his blue-furred skin. Somehow, she was not surprised. He held out his hand once more, and she stepped forward to take it, though she cringed when she saw the police car coming around the corner at the far end of the dock.  
  
  
  
  
Kurt was vaguely disappointed when the girl failed to react to his appearance, but it further confirmed his belief that this girl knew, and probably had been trained by, his friend Wolverine.  
  
She stepped forward and took his hand once more, and it was his turn to be surprised. The girl was heavy with child. He glanced back into the alley as if to assure himself that he had not brought the wrong woman with him. The girl cast a frightened glance at the approaching police car, then looked up at him.  
  
"Please," she whispered. He shook his head and drew her close. When the police car stopped at the public phone, the only trace remaining was a faint hint of sulfur on the air.  
  
  
When they reappeared, in Kurt's room on Muir Island, for he could be certain the area was clear, he felt her stiffen.  
  
"You are safe, leibshen," he quickly reassured her, but the girl didn't relax. She shuddered and raised one hand to her head, her other clutching his tightly. She drew a sharp gasping breath and then, with a low moan, she collapsed.  
  
"Gott en Himmel!" he muttered as he picked her up. He bumped the intercom with his elbow.  
  
"Moira, I need you in medical!" He carried her quickly to the area Dr. MacTaggert had designated for emergency medical services. The doctor came in right behind him, tying the belt of her robe.  
  
"What is it, Kurt?"  
  
"The frauline," he said, indicating Star. "She reacted badly to my teleport."  
  
"Who is she?" Dr. MacTaggert asked as she shifted the sensor array around so she could run the scanner over Star's body.  
  
"The telephone operator said she vas Emily Logan."  
  
"The telephone..."  
  
"It is a long story, Moira. Vhat is wrong vith her?"  
  
"The scanner doesnae show anything physical, Kurt. Other than, perhaps a slight case of exposure. What happened?" Kurt quickly told her as much as he knew.  
  
"Logan, ye said?"  
  
"Ya, Emily Logan."  
  
"D'ye think she's related tae our Logan?"  
  
"Vhen I got to Fashven, Moira, she'd been backed into an alley by five vermin. Before I could reach her, she had finished them. Unt I vas careful to stay out of her reach."  
  
"What are you guys doing up so early?" Kitty Pryde, the Shadowcat, asked sleepily from the doorway.  
  
"Ve haf a guest, Kitty." Kitty yawned and leaned on the doorframe.  
  
  
  



	11. Default Chapter Title

  
When Star awoke, she didn't know where she was, though it smelled like a lab. Se tried to sit up and pain lanced through her skull. She moaned.  
  
"Emily? Do nae try tae move, lass," an unfamiliar voice said soothingly. "Yuir safe here."  
  
"Where ... am I?" she said, frightened and confused. "Who are you?" She struggled to sit up, but gentle hands restrained her.  
  
"She is Dr. MacTaggert, leibshen. I promised to bring you to her, do you remember?" Star focused with difficulty on the speaker. It was the blue furred man from the dock. She stopped struggling.  
  
"Dr. ... MacTaggert?"  
  
"Aye, lass. Yuir on Muir Island, now. Do ye recall how ye came to be here?"  
  
"I tried to call, then there were some men ..." she paused, frowning. "But then he came and brought me here." She glared at Kurt, "That hurt."  
  
"I am sorry. No vun has reported the journey as painful, before."  
  
"Are ye still in pain?" the doctor asked.  
  
"No. Its fading, now."  
  
"How did ye come tae be on the dock?"  
  
"I woke up next to the ocean, and started walking. A truck stopped, and the driver took me to Fashven. That's when I realized I was in Scotland."  
  
"Where were ye before?"  
  
"I don't remember. Doctor," the fear returned to her voice. "Is my baby all right?"  
  
"Aye, lass. Best I can tell wi' the tests I've run."  
  
"He's been so still."  
  
"Babes are often less active in the last few weeks. Ye shouldnae worry."  
  
"Who taught you to fight?" Kurt asked.  
  
"I don't remember." Star shrugged. "I'm not even certain of my name."  
  
"What is the first thing ye can remember?" Star sighed.  
  
"Waking up in the rocks."  
  
"Naught before that?" She shook her head. Dr. MacTaggert looked at the read out display for the scanner. "There's no evidence of any injuries, no physical reason for ye tae ha' lost yuir memories." She looked sharply at Star. "What made ye call here?"  
  
"I remembered your name, and I didn't know what else to do." Dr. MacTaggert exchanged a glance with Kurt. She clearly didn't believe her.  
  
"Well, there's naught else I can do for ye here. Kitty," Shadowcat moved forward from the doorway. "Would ye take her doon stairs and find her something to wear."  
  
"Sure. Hi," she said. "I'm Kitty."  
  
"I'm ... Emily." Star answered.  
  
"C'mon, let's see if we can find you something warmer to wear." The two young women moved toward the door.  
  
"Kitty."  
  
"Yes, Moira?"  
  
"Make sure she doesnae get lost." Kitty nodded.  
  
  
When they had gone, Kurt turned to Moira.  
  
"You do not believe her."  
  
"No." She began to adjust the dials on the scanner, studying the results carefully. "She cannae remember her own name, yet she knows mine. An' how could a little thing like that take out five grown men?"  
  
"Six."  
  
"What?"  
  
"There vas a man near the phone."  
  
"Could it ha' been staged?"  
  
"It is not likely. Vun of the men vas killed."  
  
"Are ye certain?"  
  
"Ya."  
  
"It still could ha' ..." Moira's voice faded in mid sentence. "Saints preserve us."  
  
"Vhat is wrong?"  
  
"I did a scan of her genetic structure while I was looking for injuries. Take a look."  
  
"Moira, I am not a geneticist. Vhat am I looking at?"  
  
"Here," she pointed at the screen. "And here, do ye see the high lighted areas?"  
  
"Ya, I see them. Vhat are they?"  
  
"Each one indicates an X Factor."  
  
"Each ... Gott en Himmel!"  
  
"Precisely. Every single chromosome has at least one mutation. Some of them have two. Its nothing short of a miracle that she even appears tae be human."  
  
"Do you still doubt her story?"  
  
"Kurt, I do nae know what tae think. Except tae keep a close eye on the lass. And tae call Charles."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Here, try this." Kitty handed Star a long sleeved flannel shirt. "I think I've got ... yeah, here they are. Sweats with a drawstring waist." Kitty held the pants up triumphantly. "I've got some slipper socks around here someplace. There's no way any of my shoes are gonna fit you," she continued as she dug into a dresser drawer. "Got 'em! Bathroom's through there, and clean towels are in the cabinet. When you're done, we'll get something to eat."  
  
"Thank you," Star said as she took the clothing and went into the bathroom.  
  
  
"Och, they're no' in," Moira sighed. "I would ha' like for Charles an' Henry tae ha' taken a look at this."  
  
"They'll return your call as soon as they return, Moira," Kurt assured her.  
  
"Aye, I know it." Kurt was studying the screen which displayed Star's genetic structure.  
  
"Vhat of the kinder?"  
  
"The babe?" Moira adjusted the settings on the read out. "I do nae know if it scanned deeply enough tae show the bairn's chromosomes or no'."  
  
  
Star followed Kitty to the kitchen. They been there for several minutes when a woman with green hair entered the room.  
  
"Hi, Lorna. Coffee's almost ready."  
  
"'Morning, Kitty."  
  
"This is Emily. Moira asked me to take care of her while she's here."  
  
"Hi, Em. Please tell me you're not a morning person." Star just smiled and continued peeling the potato in her hand. Lorna eyed the vegetable warily as she sat down.  
  
"Kitty, what are you makin?"  
  
"Hash browns and kippers."  
  
"Oh, please. Not on an empty stomach," Lorna groaned. Kitty grinned and poured her a cup of coffee.  
  
"Here, this'll help wake you up." She took the proffered cup and sipped cautiously.  
  
"Hey, this is pretty good. Who made it?" Kitty threw a hand towel at her.  
  
"Behave, or I'll put you to work. Just 'cause you're a guest doesn't mean you can sit around and not do anything."  
  
"I can see that. Hand me some of those potatoes, Em." Star rose to get more potatoes for them both. As Lorna, also known as Polaris, extended her powers of magnetism to get a knife from the drawer, Kurt and Moira walked in.  
  
"Emily, after ye've eaten, I'd like tae run some moor tests, if ye don't mind." Star took an involuntary step backwards, into Lorna's magnetic field. The metal-laced bones in her left arm responded to the mutant's unknowing command, throwing Star off balance. Kitty reached out to steady her, but her hand passed through the smaller woman's body.  
  
When Star had been forced from the teleportation field by Matthew, she hadn't, quite, made it back to this plane of existence, which was why her memory was affected. When Kitty, whose power was to phase herself, and others, through solid matter, touched Star, the effect was to bring her forcefully back in sequence with the real world. The results were spectacular. The explosion could have been heard by anyone anywhere on the island. Unfortunately, the other members of Excalibur were away, and the civilian personnel had gone home for the weekend, so there was no one available to hear. Or to help.  
  
  
Many miles away, far above the stratosphere, one man was aware that something had occurred. He turned his attention to a severe disturbance in Earth's magnetic field. His name was Eric Magnus Lensherr. Magneto. He pinpointed the disturbance to the area of Muir Island. And decided to investigate.  
  
  
Star woke to darkness, but her memories were crystal clear. She had suffered minor injuries during the explosion, but they were nothing that her healing factor could not take care of in a matter of minutes. She felt a welcome flutter within her swollen abdomen and knew that her child, too, had survived. But what of the others?  
  
  
The building had partially collapsed during the energy release caused by Star's re-entry into the real world. She crawled carefully through the debris, searching for the people who had taken her in and tried to help her. She found Kurt first. He was breathing, but he did not respond when she touched him. She extended her healing senses into his body, and was relieved to find that he was not badly injured. Just beyond him she found Moira. The older woman's head was bleeding and Star once more extended her healing powers. She could feel the cells respond to her silent urging and the bleeding stopped. She turned away from the doctor and looked back at the rubble-strewn kitchen. She was growing tired and dreaded trying to reach Kitty and Lorna through the tangle. She sat back on her heels, closed her eyes, and concentrated, reaching for the two missing mutants. She found Lorna first and used her powers to stabilize her. When she finally found Kitty, the other girl was so badly injured that Star knew she would be pushing the limit of her abilities just to keep her alive.  
  
As she concentrated, the collapsed ceiling suddenly shifted. She cried out and threw her arm over her head. She was astonished when some of the debris was deflected away from her. The largest portion of the ceiling lifted majestically, and moved slowly to the side. She knew she hadn't the strength to move such a weight, even if her telekinetic powers had been miraculously restored.  
  
The bright morning sun blinded her as the last of the wreckage dropped from view. She blinked in the brightness, most of her attention still focused on Kitty. A figure came into view and Star gasped, for it was none other than the notorious villain Magneto. She was suddenly terrified. The X-Men dreaded battling him, and she was all alone. Her powers were more useful after a battle, anyhow. She looked hopefully toward Kurt, but he showed no sign of rousing.  
  
He landed gently before her and offered her his hand as she struggled to her feet. She hesitated for a moment, then accepted his assistance. He released her hand and turned slightly toward Kurt and Moira. Star shifted so that she remained directly before him. She trembled as he watched her shrewdly, and nearly leaped when he extended his hand once more.  
  
"I do not believe we have met," he said as he bowed over her hand. "I am Eric Lensherr. Magneto."  
  
"I know," she whispered as he straightened once more. He waited, then said,  
  
"And you are?"  
  
"Oh! I'm Star. Uh ... Emily Logan."  
  
"Logan?" he said thoughtfully. "I once knew a man called Logan," he watched her carefully. "He is also known as Wolverine. Would you be related to him?" Star just nodded. "You are, perhaps, his daughter." It was not a question. Star lifted her chin.  
  
"No," she said proudly. "I am his wife." His eyes flickered involuntarily to her swollen abdomen, and she flinched, wondering if she had placed her child in danger. His eyes returned to her face for a moment before he turned away.  
  
"Do your ... companions ... require my assistance?' Star swallowed.  
  
"L .. Lorna and Kitty are buried. I can't move the beams."  
  
"Lorna," he said as he began to shift the debris from the two women. "That would explain the disturbance in the magnetic field." As he moved the last of the rubble, Lorna moaned and sat up, one hand to her head. As Star helped her to her feet, Magneto bent over Kitty's still form.  
  
"She lives, though I do not see how. The beams should have crushed her."  
  
"What ...?" Lorna said, looking around in puzzlement.  
  
"They did," Star replied, seating the disoriented Lorna near Kurt and Moira. "I could not allow her to die." Magneto looked at the tiny woman before him with interest, as he magnetically lifted Kitty and moved her to where the others lay. Star stepped forward and took Kitty's hand as he lowered her battered body to the floor.  
  
"It is easier with physical contact," Star said, focusing her energies on Kitty once more. Kitty stirred and opened her eyes.  
  
"Em ... Emily?"  
  
"Rest, Kitty. I haven't the strength to completely restore you."  
  
"What happened?" she asked, sitting up. "Magneto!" she gasped as she saw him.  
  
The sound of her long time enemy's name galvanized Lorna. She snapped her head up and, without saying a word, hurled a bolt of magnetic energy at him.  
  
"Lorna, no!" Star shouted, stepping between the two mutants whose powers were so similar. She cried out as her body intercepted the energy meant for Magneto. He caught her as she fell, throwing a powerful magnetic shield around them both.  
  
"Emily!" Kitty cried, trying to rise. Lorna stood shakily, testing Magneto's shield with her powers.  
  
"I did not come here to fight you, Polaris," Magnet said angrily, Star's body limp against him.  
  
"Then why are you here?" Lorna demanded.  
  
"Oddly enough, I sought to offer my assistance," he replied coolly. "It was not I who destroyed your establishment, nor did I cause this child's injury."  
  
"Why," Star said quietly, her overtaxed healing factor beginning to repair her own injuries. "Does everyone insist on calling me a child?" Magneto eased her to her feet, but continued to support her, and she leaned on him gratefully.  
  
"Perhaps it is your size," Magneto answered her seriously, continuing to watch warily as Kurt, and then Moira, began to stir behind Lorna and Kitty. Lorna cautiously reigned in her powers, and turned to help them. Kitty got painfully to her feet, and inclined her head toward Magneto.  
  
"Your assistance is appreciated," she said. "But do you know what happened?"  
  
"I believe I am the cause," Star said, at last able to stand on her own. "I was not quite synchronized to this plane of existence when I came here. When you touched me, a great deal of energy was released. Lorna was caught in the shock wave while using her powers. The result ... you can see around you."  
  
"You and your companions no longer require my assistance, I can see. I will go now." Magneto said into the silence that followed Star's statement. He looked at her for a moment, then added "If you ever need a sanctuary, you will find yourself welcome in my home." Then, using his powers, he lifted himself effortlessly into the air, and was quickly out of sight.  
  
"Vas that Magneto?" Kurt asked, still groggy from the explosion.  
  
"Yes," Star answered. "Without his help, Kitty would have died. Why do you all hate him so?"  
  
"It is not an easy thing to explain, leibshen," Kurt said, turning to offer his hand to Moira. "Ve haf been enemies for a very long time."  
  
"You could call it a basic difference in philosophy," Moira put it. Star just shook her head.  
  
"But he came here to help you."  
  
"Did he now?" the doctor continued. "If ye hadnae been here tae see, what do ye think he'd ha' done while we were helpless?"  
  
"If he had wanted to harm you, do you think I could have stopped him?"  
  
"Aye, lass. After lookin' at yuir genetic structure, I believe you could ha'." Star shook her head.  
  
"Most of my powers have been destroyed. The only thing I have now is a healing factor."  
  
"'Most of'?" Kurt asked. "Yust who are you?"  
  
"I am Emily Logan, as I told you," she paused. "You may know of me as Star."  
  
"Star?!? Kurt said, startled. "The X-Men haf been looking for you for months, leibshen!"  
  
"I imagined as much. I was taken by a man who called himself Mr. Sinister. He ... persuaded me to train a young mutant with a metabolism similar to my own," she unconsciously placed a hand on her swollen abdomen, leaving no doubt in the other's minds as to the form of the persuasion.  
  
"Yesterday, Matthew did something to my mind. He accidentally ... shut me off. I guess it was yesterday. I don't know how long I was out, but he restored me somehow. Later that day, the alarms went off, and I managed to get out of my room. Sinister was teleporting Matthew away and I tried to stop him. But Matthew pushed me out of the field, and I woke up in Scotland," she paused. "Matthew is a very dangerous young man, right now. I don't think Sinister knows just how dangerous. I've got to find him."  
  
"Moira left a message for the X-Men. They vill probably be here soon." Star looked away, and when she looked back Kurt was surprised to see tears in her eyes.  
  
"I can't wait for them. And I can't ... I can't face Logan."  
  
"Nonsense, girl," Moira interrupted. "The mon's worried half ta death o'er ye."  
  
"Then you must tell him I'm all right."  
  
"Vhy not tell him yourself?" The tears ran down her cheeks as she looked up at Nightcrawler.  
  
"The baby isn't his, Kurt." She drew a deep breath and made an effort to stem the flow of her tears. "Logan is not the father."  
  
Kitty stared at her from her seat on the rubble that was once their kitchen.  
  
"You cheated on Wolverine?"  
  
"Kitty!" Moira said sharply, but Shadowcat ignored her.  
  
"Cheated? I don't understand."  
  
"You slept with someone ... all right, had sex with someone other than your husband. How could you do that to him?"  
  
Star straightened her shoulders, her eyes suddenly dry and her face expressionless.  
  
"I must find Matthew," she said, turning once more to Nightcrawler.  
  
"Why?" Kitty demanded, "is he the father?" Star looked at her and Kitty was startled by the intensity of the smaller woman's eyes.  
  
"Katherine Pryde, that'll be quite enough out o' ye," Moira interrupted. "Ye cannae just flit off again, Star. How would ye find the lad, anyhow?"  
  
"I will find him," Star answered. "I must." Before he hurts anyone, she said to herself. She half bowed to Moira. "I thank you for your assistance, and I regret the damage done to your people and to your home because of me. If I am able, I will make reparations." She faced Kitty, "I will return your clothing as soon as I am able."  
  
"Keep 'em," Kitty replied, still fuming.  
  
"Kurt, I thank you for befriending me, as well as for the very instructional trip to your island."  
  
"Instructional, leibshen?" Before Star could answer, there was a flash of brilliant white light, and a clap of thunder so loud that the ruins of the building shifted. An image appeared, larger than life.  
  
Nightcrawler and the others saw a young man standing over them, a cruel smirk on his face. Star recognized him as Matthew, though he appeared several years older than when she had last seen him just the day before.  
  
"Hello, 'Mama'," he snarled at her.  
  
"Matthew," she replied softly, instinctively reaching for him with one hand. "Are you all right?"  
  
"Stop playing games with me, Mother. I know you don't care about me. You are no better than Sinister. You both wanted nothing more than a weapon. In fact, you are by far the worst. When I was a helpless infant, you let me die, even though it was within your power to save me." Star stared at him, as she realized the truth. Matthew was indeed her son. She shook her head.  
  
"That is not true, Matthew. My powers have evolved gradually. I gained the ability to heal long after you were born."  
  
"I don't care! You should have done something!" He glared down at her, ignoring Nightcrawler and the others.  
  
"I could not."  
  
"Very well," he said, his voice quiet once more. "Then you shall not save this child either!" He reached toward her, his hand closing into a fist. Star cried out and staggered as if she had been struck. Nightcrawler caught her before she could fall. The image of the young man reached for them both, but Nightcrawler teleported them a short distance away.  
  
"No!" Matthew thundered. "I will not be denied!" His image rapidly grew in size until the building itself was dwarfed by him. He fisted both hands and slammed them down upon the ruins, further smashing the building. Kitty grabbed Moira and Lorna and all three women phased so that the rubble passed harmlessly through them. Nightcrawler teleported Star to safety outside the building.  
  
"Your shields are stronger than they were, Mother. But I shall win." He lowered his hands to his sides. "You see, I have something you want." The image expanded to reveal Wolverine, trapped within a force field bubble. He was unconscious.  
  
"Logan," Star whispered.  
  
"Yes, Mama. I have your precious 'husband'. My soon to be unlamented father." He grinned maliciously. "Which will you save, Mama? The man you profess to love? Or the child, the thing put in you by a man who only wanted to hurt you? Decide, Mama. And come to me." The image faded and was gone.  
  
  
  
Nightcrawler released Star when he was sure she could stand on her own. Shadowcat phased back in and Moira immediately moved to check on Star. Lorna looked like she wanted to punch somebody, if only she could figure out what was going on. Her powers had been useless in this fight.  
  
"Are ye all right, girl?" Moira asked.  
  
"Yes. He didn't attack me, he attacked the baby."  
  
"Ye blocked his strike?"  
  
"No. She defended herself." Moira looked thoughtful.  
  
"What now, leibshen?"  
  
"I'm going after them."  
  
"Ve vill come vith you." Nightcrawler said.  
  
"No." She turned away from them and her form began to shimmer slightly. Nightcrawler leaped forward and put both arms around her as her figure faded from view. He disappeared as well, but not before Moira heard him say,  
  
"Ya!"  
  
  
"What is going on?" Lorna demanded. "That kid looked just like Logan, only not as hairy."  
  
"If what they said is to be believed, he is Star's son. And Logan's."  
  
"But I thought their baby died."  
  
"It did, but the little corpse was stolen. Matthew is probably a clone."  
  
"Oh, man, another clone?"  
  
"T'would appear so."  
  
"Moira, Star said the baby defended itself. What did she mean?"  
  
"I do nae know, lass. If we ha'e any power to the phones, or to the lab computer, ye'd best be f'r contactin' the X-Men, while I look at the bairn's chromosomes again."  
  
  
  



	12. Default Chapter Title

  
"Kurt, what are you doing?" Star demanded as they reappeared, inside a building.  
  
"Let me catch my breath, frauline. Being teleported by another is alvays a little ... unnerving." Star turned and moved toward the door.  
  
"Vhere are you going, leibshen?"  
  
"To find Logan. And Matthew."  
  
"He vill be vaiting for you."  
  
"I know. Please go home."  
  
"Nein." He followed her without another word.  
  
  
The room opened into a hallway with many doors down it's length. Star opened the first door, and froze with a gasp.  
  
"Vhat is it?" Nightcrawler demanded. She shook her head.  
  
"It's all right. I just wasn't expecting this. This is the lab where I was hatched." Nightcrawler didn't question her choice of words. "He's come here deliberately. He took my memories, and chose the place he thought would frighten me most."  
  
"And is this it?"  
  
"Yes." She closed the door, and move on to the next one. She started to open it, but slowly turned and opened the door across the hall instead. Wolverine lay within, still unconscious.  
  
  
"Well, Mama, that didn't take you very long." Matthew stood at the back of the room, his arms crossed. The lighting in the room was almost theatrical.  
  
"Let him go, Matthew," Star said as she stepped into the room.  
  
"So, you have chosen? Once more, you choose an innocent to die?"  
  
"Let him go. He has done nothing to you." Nightcrawler silently entered behind Star. He stayed in the shadows, hoping to remain unnoticed, if not undetected.  
  
Wolverine groaned and Matthew turned toward him.  
  
"Nothing, Mama? You may be right. But you see, I don't care." He gestured, closing his hand slowly on nothing.  
  
"Ah!" Wolverine cried out, throwing his head back. Matthew staggered, then looked at Star in surprise.  
  
"Why, Mama. You were always so gentle. I didn't think you had it in you."  
  
"I don't want to hurt you, Matthew. But I will do whatever is necessary."  
  
"Will you really?" He reached toward Wolverine again, but the injured man, having risen to his knees, did not react.  
  
"Very good." Matthew smiled at Star. It was a cold, cruel smile. "But can you shield yourself and still protect him?" He extended one hand toward Star, the other toward Wolverine.  
  
Neither Matthew nor Star moved, yet the room was heavy with energy. Wolverine, battered and bloody, gained his feet. Nightcrawler cautiously made his way closer to his friend, still seeking the shadows. He did not want to distract Star. Nor did he particularly wish to draw Matthew's attention.  
  
"What the flamin' hell is goin' on here?" Wolverine demanded. Matthew looked at him coldly.  
  
"I won't let you hurt him, Matthew," Star said quietly. "I won't let you hurt anyone."  
  
"Not anyone, Mama? Not even him?" He pointed toward a corner of the room behind Star, and a figure appeared. It was the Reaver, long thought dead, that had raped and beaten Star. She gasped then, straightening, said,  
  
"No. Not even him."  
  
"Or them?" The three punks from the mall appeared. "Or maybe them?" This time it was the thugs from the dock. All of them looked confused.  
  
Star remained motionless, but the strain of extending her power to protect her enemies from her son was beginning to tell on her.  
  
Wolverine started toward Star, but stopped when her voice, inside his head, said,  
  
"No, Logan. I must deal with this myself." He took another step forward, but came up against an invisible barrier. He growled low in his throat, frustrated.  
  
  
"Wolverine."  
  
"Elf! Where did you come from?"  
  
"I came vith Star."  
  
"You brought her here?"  
  
"Nein. She brought me." He looked sideways at Wolverine. "You are hurt."  
  
"Been worse."  
  
"Often?"  
  
Wolverine didn't answer for a moment. Then he said,  
  
"No, not often. Kid KO'd me. Never even saw it comin'."  
  
"He comes from good stock, nein?"  
  
"Wouldn't know, Elf." The two mutants looked out on the room at the motionless combatants.  
  
"Remind you of anythin'?"  
  
"Ya. The "sorcerer's duel" in The Raven."  
  
"That's the one." Wolverine paused, "Think ya can get me in behind him?"  
  
"Ve can try." Nightcrawler grasped Wolverine's bloody arm and concentrated on the area behind Matthew. With a "Bamf!" of imploding air, the two men disappeared, only to reappear a moment later behind Matthew. The young man did not seem to notice them. Wolverine extended his claws and leaped towards him. He was thrown violently back and slammed into the rear wall. He slid down, unconscious once more. Nightcrawler tried to teleport to Matthew's side, hoping to take him by surprise, and take him on a wild teleporting ride. He was dismayed to find that he could not teleport.  
  
"Kurt," he heard. "Please get Logan out of here. I can't protect everyone. It's just too much."  
  
"I vill bring help, leibshen," he said as he turned to Wolverine.  
  
"No! Just get out! Now!" Nightcrawler disappeared with Wolverine.  
  
  
Star's skin was beginning to glow, the effort of defending Matthew's hostages requiring more energy than a small city consumed in a week. She began to notice a pattern to his attacks. He was powerful, but untrained. Fortunately for her. When he concentrated on the three punks from the mall, she used her newly mastered power of teleportation to remove the Reaver from the "playing field". Matthew was furious. He attacked her directly, and she used the distraction to remove the three punks. He shrieked at her and ran across the room, physically knocking her back. She fell, and he pounced on her, striking her with his fists. She banished the thugs back to their dock. He landed one hard blow to her distended abdomen and she gasped with the pain, her concentration momentarily broken.  
  
She felt a rush of energy from the infant inside her, and Matthew staggered back. He clutched his head and screamed. Star tried to block the infant's unexpected power, tried to protect Matthew, but the child struck at her as well and she collapsed, her body wracked with pain. Matthew fell to the floor beside her, unmoving.  
  
  
The lab was silent save for the wailing of a newborn babe.  
  
  



	13. Default Chapter Title

  
Star awakened, aware that something was different, but at first she couldn't place the change. Then she realized that the pressure and weight of her baby's presence were missing. She sat up with a cry and saw Matthew's motionless form lying beside her, and she almost wept. She didn't know if he was alive or dead. Then she heard a tiny sound from behind her. She turned quickly, and found the baby, aimlessly waving her tiny arms. Star's body had already healed from the damage inflicted by Matthew, and by the unexpected, and unattended, birth of her daughter. Matthew groaned, and she felt a surge of relief, followed by an equal surge of fear. She knew she could not defeat him, and she feared what he had become.  
  
"Mama?" he said in a small voice.  
  
"I'm here, Matthew."  
  
"Where are we? What happened?"  
  
"You don't remember?" He shook his head.  
  
"Do you remember Sinister?"  
  
"Huh uh," he responded, still in a little boy's voice.  
  
"He made you want to hurt some people, and we had a fight."  
  
"You didn't let me hurt anybody, did you Mama?"  
  
"You only hurt one person, sweetheart. And I'm sure he'll be OK."  
  
"Who?'  
  
"Logan."  
  
"Your husband?"  
  
"Yes. And your father. Come on, I'll take you home."  
  
"Back to Sinister?" he asked, drawing away from her.  
  
"No." She turned and picked up the squirming infant, then faced her son once more. "No, I'll take you to my friends."  
  
"The X-Men?"  
  
"Yes, dear."  
  
"I'm afraid of them, Mama. Please don't take me there. They'll just want to stick me in another lab, like they did with you. Please, Mama, please don't take me there."  
  
"All right, Matthew. Don't worry. I think I know a place where you can live and be safe."  
  
"Will you live there?"  
  
"No, darling. But I will visit you."  
  
"OK." He looked down at the baby. "That my sister?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What's her name?"  
  
"I don't know yet." She peered into the cooing infant's tiny face. "We may have to ask her."  
  
  
Wolverine awakened in the med-lab of Muir island. Moira MacTaggert, Kitty Pryde, and Kurt Wagner were in attendance. He sat up abruptly.  
  
"Where's Star?" he demanded.  
  
"I could not reach her, mien freund."  
  
"What do ya mean, ya couldn't reach her?"  
  
"I tried, Logan. There vas a ... barrier, through vhich I could not pass."  
  
"Try again!"  
  
"Wolvie,..." Kitty began.  
  
"No! Do it, Elf! Now!"  
  
"Ya, I vill try." The blue furred mutant, his face grim, disappeared. After what seemed an eternity, he returned.  
  
"The barrier vas gone,"  
  
"Good!" Wolverine interrupted.  
  
"No. There vas no one there. No one."  
  
  
Star and Matthew, along with the infant girl, appeared in a large storage room aboard the space station Avalon, home to Eric Lensherr, Magneto, and his people, the Acolytes. Alarms began to sound and Matthew cringed. Star threw a shield about them, and spoke quietly to Matthew, calming him.  
  
The guards burst into the storeroom, ready for a full-scale invasion. They were surprised to find only one tiny woman, an infant cradled in her arms, and a half grown boy. Their surprise did not stop them from attacking the supposed invaders. Star's shield flared brightly as she warded off the combined powers of the guards. Matthew stood, frightened but ready to fight back.  
  
"No, Matthew," Star said quietly. "This is their home and we have entered uninvited." The guards withdrew from an all out attack when it became obvious that Star was a passive invader, willing to wait them out.  
  
The Psi among them attempted to probe Star, but met a solid shield.  
  
"Who are you?" he demanded aloud.  
  
"My name is Star. Eric Lensherr extended an invitation to me should I have need. Please tell him I am here with my children, and that I need his help."  
  
  
Eric Lensherr held Star's tiny daughter and watched while Matthew cautiously tasted a piece of chocolate cake which one of the Acolytes had brought for him. Star smiled.  
  
"He was raised, as I was, in a laboratory. I doubt that he's ever eaten chocolate before." Magneto played with the baby for a moment more before saying,  
  
"What is it you expect from me, Star?" Star sighed.  
  
"I need a home for Matthew. Someplace where he can grow to adulthood, and into his powers, without the bitterness he has suffered before."  
  
"He does not strike me as a bitter young man."  
  
"No longer. I believe she had something to do with that." Magneto raised an eyebrow and looked down at the drowsy infant in his arms.  
  
"The small one?"  
  
"Yes. She exhibited powers several times before her birth."  
  
"She seems babyish enough now," he replied.  
  
"Yes, she does, doesn't she? She does not seem to have inherited the frantic metabolism her brother and I share." She took the tiny hand in her own and the baby drifted off to sleep. "Perhaps there is a chance for her."  
  
"You speak of Matthew as if you would leave him."  
  
"Yes. Though it may be necessary for me to return as well. I do not wish to be the cause of a conflict between you and the X-Men, and I fear that Logan will not release me without a fight."  
  
"If you wish to be free of him, tell him so. He is not always a reasonable man, but he is honorable. He will release you if that is what you want."  
  
"It is not what I want. But for his sake, it is what must be."  
  
"Why?" Star bent and kissed the tiny fingers, wrapped tightly about her own.  
  
"She is not his daughter, and I would not have him constantly confronted with the face of his enemy's child as a ceaseless reminder that he was unable to protect me." She shook her head. "And I would not have her see the man she calls 'Father' grow to hate her."  
  
"Perhaps you do not give him enough credit." Magneto said, as he gently place the child back in her mother's arms. "He is a strong man, and if his love for you is half as powerful as you have said, it will not matter to him where you got this child, or under what circumstances." He stood and watched Matthew as the boy stared out the view port at the stars. "Your son is welcome here. He will be trained in the use of his powers, as well as in more mundane matters." He put his hand on her shoulder. "And if I am wrong, if Logan is less than the man I believe him to be, you and your daughter are welcome here as well." He laughed, "Though my guards would appreciate it if you announced your arrival beforehand." Star smiled.  
  
"Thank you, Eric. I should not have doubted Logan without giving him a chance."  
  
"You will be going now?"  
  
"As soon as I tell Matthew good-bye."  
  
  
The X-Men had at last been contacted, and were on their way to Muir island to join Wolverine. He and Nightcrawler had returned to the lab to look for any clue as to where Star may have gone. They had no luck, and Wolverine's mood was more morose than ever. Moira and Kitty cleaned up the med-lab as they waited for the arrival of the X-Men.  
  
"Moira, I don't understand how he can be so upset after what that woman did to him."  
  
"Ye dinnae understand a lot o' things, girl," Moira replied. "Ye made judgments aboot her withoot havin' all the facts."  
  
"She cheated on him, Moira!"  
  
"She was raped, Kitty," a quite voice said behind them.  
  
"Wolvie!"  
  
"An' I couldn't do a damn thing about it." He stood in the doorway to the med-lab, his hands clenched into fists at his side.  
  
"Wolvie, I ... I didn't know."  
  
"No, you didn't. But you condemned her anyway." He turned and stalked silently away.  
  
"Wolvie!"  
  
"Leave him be, Kitty."  
  
"But ..."  
  
"But nothin'. The best thing ye can do is tae leave him be. And pray that the girl comes back tae him."  
  
  
Much later, Kitty approached Moira in the makeshift kitchen they had set up.  
  
"Moira?"  
  
"Yes, Kitty?" Moira looked up from the cup of coffee she held.  
  
"Um, I was looking through Star's files ..." Moira said nothing.  
  
"Yeah, I know. I said I was sorry. I'd tell her if I could just find her. I thought, maybe, there'd be something there, some hint of where she might have gone."  
  
"And was there?"  
  
"No. But there was something else I found." Moira waited. Kitty sighed.  
  
"Uh, according to the tests you ran, the baby is Wolverine's."  
  
"Aye," Moira replied. "And yer point is?"  
  
"Well, shouldn't we tell him?"  
  
"It's nae our business, girl."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Do ye really think that tellin' him his wife was driven away from him because his friend as much as called her a whore fer thinkin' the child in her belly wasnae his, when it really is, is goin' tae make him feel better?" Moira stood, putting her coffee cup down with a bang. "Leave it alone. Ye've done harm enough." Kitty watched her go, and wondered what she could do to make amends for the terrible thing she had done.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Wolverine stood, looking out over the ocean as the sun set. The members of Excalibur gave him the privacy he obviously wanted, and left him alone. When Star appeared silently behind him there was no one to witness the expression of joy and relief that lit his face as he turned and saw her. She waited, still uncertain of her reception, until he rushed toward her and swept her up in his arms, spinning her around. The baby squalled in protest, and he put them down carefully. He stared at Star's face as if he still could not quite believe that she was there. Finally, he looked down at the tiny girl held in her mother's arms. He took one of her tiny hands in his, and grinned with delight when she clasped her fingers about one of his.  
  
"She's beautiful, Star." He bent down and kissed the baby on the forehead. "Have you given her a name?"  
  
"Not yet, but I have considered Galadraelle." She paused. "Logan, the baby..."  
  
"Is the most beautiful creature in the world, Star. Next to her mother, that is." He looked up at her. "And that's the only thing that matters, girl. I'll do my best ta be a good father to her." He took the baby and put his free arm around Star. Together, they turned to watch the sunset.  
  
  
Despite what Moira had said, Kitty was determined to speak to Wolverine. She had no intention of eavesdropping, but when she saw that Star had returned she phased rather than interrupt the reunion. She nearly gave herself away by laughing when Wolverine suddenly looked down at the infant and said,  
  
"Why, you little terror."  
  
"What is it, Logan?" Star asked.  
  
"I guess this makes it official, Star. 'Ella has 'anointed' me her dad." Star saw the spreading stain on Wolverine's shirt and began to laugh. He kissed her and they turned back to the sunset.  
  
  
  



End file.
